Who's Back?
by Sessy52
Summary: Sasuke returns to Konoha with his nephew by his side and Sakura has to move in with them. But being so close to them only results in her falling in love. Children, drama, unhappy parents, and angry villagers.  Life is never easy but love makes it worth it
1. Chapter 1

**Edit: Well, hello. This is my first story, most of you will know. I'm working on the 45th chapter but decided to go back and rewrite the first chapter to get the writer's juices flowing. Well, my task is done but now i don't feel like writing anymore at the moment. Epic fail on my part. **

**Well, Ta da! First chapter rewriten. Made some changes, but nothing too major i think. I decided that i wanted Sakura to live with her parents instead of the apartment in the original version. But this minor change has now affected teh next few chapters, but not my much, i hope. So for those who are reading this for the first time and i have yet to edit the following chapters, sorry for the confusion. I'll get on the task of fixing this glich soon.**

**Well, enough of me talking. Enjoy the rewitten-ness.**

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The office dark except for the one lamp on the desk. Tsunade sat, her head resting in her hand in a frustrated manner as she tried, and failed, to focus on the piles of paperwork that had accumulated on her desk. Her eyes scanned the paper in front of her lazily before she sighed and put down her pen, leaning back in defeat.

Normally if something was bothering her, then she would try to fix it. But this time was different. Very different because she was unsure as to what she should. She had so much to consider for this one decision.

If she does decide to do it, then the whole thing could backfire on her. He wasn't called a traitor for nothing, after all. He has a pretty bad record and could cause problems. On the other hand, it could be what the village needed. He could someday, if she decided that he could be trusted enough, be a Konoha shinobi again, making the village stronger. And maybe he could even fill in the hole in Naruto and Sakura.

'Maybe' is the key word.

She sighed again and pulled out the file that was bothering her so much. She stared at the file blankly, not daring to open it. She took a deep breath, thinking deeply about the dilemma she was presented with.

A knock sounded at the door and she jumped. With her heart raising, she struggled to keep her scare out of her voice when she answered. "Yes, what is it?"

A familiar voice sounded from behind the door. "Sensei, it's me. Can I come in?"

Tsunade blinked and quickly threw another stack of files on top of file she had been thinking about. After making sure the file was safely out of sight, she spoke. "Yes." she said quickly.

Sakura entered with a smile on her face. Tsunade smiled back, it coming out strained as she tried to keep her nervousness off her face. Sakura blinked, knowing that some thing was wrong with her sensei but decided against saying anything. If she had learnt anything while under her tutorship, it was to mind her own business. With Tsunade, she would talk about it when she was ready and if you press than she will unleash her wrath upon you.

Sakura looked around the dark room and felt a horrible weight on her shoulders. Eying the stack paperwork that needed to be done, she knew her sensei would be spending a lot of time working on it all. She looked down at the folders in her hand and sighed, knowing she was about to dump another days work on her sensei's desk.

She crossed the room in a leisurely manner and placed the pile of paperwork in the corner where the pile wasn't as high. "These are the files on today's patients at the hospital. I'm about to head home, but, if you'd like, I could stay and help you go through all this," she said, gesturing loosely to the mess of papers that hide the top of the desk from view.

With a wave of the hand and an overly nonchalant attitude, Tsunade quickly dismissed her student's help. "That won't be necessary," she said quickly, earning an odd look from her student, "Go home and have a nice relaxing bath. Oh! And have at least one glass of sake for me."

Sakura eyed her for a moment before shrugging off and bowing with a smile. Wishing her sensei a goodnight, she received a fake smile and a similar response before she left the room, shutting the door after herself.

Once the door closed, Tsunade let out a deep sigh of relief that she alone again. Sitting for a moment to twiddle her thumbs, she pulled open the folder that she had hidden and stared at it, in a complete lose as to what to do. Slowly, she opened the folder and reread the contents for what seemed like the thousandth time today. No matter how many times she read it, or how much she wished it to change, it was always the same. She just didn't want to deal with it.

'_Well at least he sent a letter asking for permission. No one doubts that he could have just snuck in and then came to me, creating an even bigger pain for me. And by taking the time to send it, he must be serious. He wouldn't risk of getting caught and all the hell he would get from his sensei if he wasn't serious,' _Tsunade contemplated.

With a deep breath, she reread the letter, as much to reassure herself that she wasn't making this whole thing up than to try and get a better mindset of how she was going to deal with this problem.

_Dear Fifth Hokage,_

_I know my record is working against me and you would like nothing more than to just pretend this letter never came. However, I just ask that you hear me out. I know what I am about to ask will not please you, but I must ask anyways. I, Sasuke Uchiha, am requesting to come back to Konoha with my nephew, Seto Uchiha. Due to certain circumstances, I have been put in charge of the young boy. We are currently living in the Sound Village under command of the snake, Orochimaru. However, as I'm sure you will understand, I can not keep him in this village, so close to Orochimaru and his ever deepening thirst for the Uchiha blood. Let it be known that my brother will have nothing to do with this besides being the father of Seto._

_I know I do not deserve any sort of kindness from you or another person. However, I do not ask for my own sake. I will take whatever is thrown at me because I deserve every bit of it. Seto, on the other hand, has done nothing but have the misfortune to be born into the dysfunctional and disgraceful Uchiha family. If you will not allow me into the Village, which I would understand and not blame for you, then I ask that you at least put Seto with a good family that is equipped to care for an Uchiha child. I am in no position to negotiate, so I will expect anything you will give me. I'm not equipped to care for this child here in the Sound Village. For his sake, I am seeking your help as to get him to a proper environment. _

_Sasuke Uchiha_

Tsunade placed the letter down and closed the folder in disgust, suddenly sickened by the wave of guilt and pity she felt for the poor boy. She placed her hand over her eyes and leaned back in her chair, cursing which ever god put this weight on her shoulders. And with a even harsher curse, she decided that she hated the god that was responsible for giving this huge decision to her and hadn't even had the decency to at least give her sake with it.

'_Damn it all,' _she cursed.

xOx

He sat by the window, feeling his eyes droop from sleep deprivation. He was stressed, and when he was stressed his mind starts working in hyper drive, constantly going in such as way as to cause even more stress. This results in his inability to claim some sleep, even though he desperately needed it. Then added to the fact that he had several hours of intense training with his sensei today, was awoken by Seto in the wee hours of the morning and then had to watch the boy for the entire day, it left him feeling as if he would drop to the floor any second.

But he couldn't allow this to happen. He had planned it all carefully and if he fell asleep now, he would surely miss his chance to escape and then the whole thing would be ruined. For both his and Seto's sake, he wouldn't allow that to happen.

He glanced at the small figure laying on the bed. The boy's raven hair was sprawled out on the sheets, his hair tangled from tossing around. His eyes were closed and his face was completely calm, a expression of pure innocence that tugged on Sasuke's heartstrings. The blankets were tangled around his limbs, in a way very similar to the way Naruto used to sleep, and his hand loosely clutched his favorite stuffed animal, a snake.

Sasuke listened to his light and even breaths, knowing that he had to get him out of this hellhole. It was too dangerous to have him so close to Orochimaru, who everyday was eying the boy more. The snake had even suggested to Sasuke to let him start training, though he was only he was only two, soon to be three.

Plus, the Sound nin weren't exactly angels either. Most were here because they had no other place to go, while others had done some sort of crime and joined Sound to escape prosecution of their own home. While Sasuke and Seto had their own private quarters away from the general population, they still were put in contact with them all more than Sasuke liked.

After sitting for an immeasurable time, Sasuke finally stood, deciding that it was time. Most of the base was fast asleep or were in the common area partying or hanging out. Now was the best time to move out.

He slung his bag over is shoulder, containing a little food and a few pairs of clothes each. Quietly and carefully, he stepped up towards the bed and adjusted the blanket around the boy before he gently picked him up. As if sensing Sasuke's warmed and protecting presence, the boy automatically cuddled up against the teen's chest, tucking himself into his chest in just the right way.

Sasuke made a move to cross the room but stopped when the stuffed snake slipped from the boy's hand. He eyed it for a moment but turned away from it, not wanting to risk waking Seto up while trying to pick it up with his hands full like they were. He mentally promised to buy Seto another one as he reached the door.

Opening it and glancing down the hall, he then exited the room and turned to take one last glance at the room he had called his safe haven for the last few months. He took a deep breath, knowing that he was closing a door on a chapter of his life. He exhaled deeply and turned away without a second glance. He was ready for this chapter to end so that a brighter one would open. He was tired of the cold, damp, life of the underground. He needed life, he needed light. He needed Seto to be happy.

It wasn't long before he was out of the secret base, fleeing to his hometown. He was able to get out without being noticed, but he still traveled quickly in order to try and get as much distance between the Sound and himself. Being extra careful not to jostle the sleeping child in his arms, he ran quickly, jumping through the trees.

It was nearly dawn when he reached the village gates. With a sudden burst of energy, he dropped down from the trees and slowly strolled towards a pair of men standing guard at the gate. He ignored their presence and tried to enter but the two quickly stepped in front of him. He blinked and then tried to go around but they block his path yet again. They had on masks, but Sasuke didn't recognize their chakra.

"What is your business here?" the first one asked. He was a rather large man and Sasuke couldn't help but picture him sitting on his opponent to end the fight. Sasuke mentally chuckled at the idea, there was no coming back from that one.

Sasuke glanced over at the second one. He was a tall and skinny man. From the looks of it, he could probably be blown away by a strong gust of wind and looked as if he might drop dead if he didn't get some fat on his body and stat. The teen also noticed that the man was eyeing the bundle in his arms. Seto was bundled up tightly to protect him from the cool October air. He was hidden from view and it looked at if Sasuke was just carrying some sort of odd bundle.

"What's in the bundle?" the second man finally asked after staring for awhile.

Sasuke, acting on instinct, leaned away in such as way as to hide the bundle from view the best he could and held Seto tighter to his chest. The men exchanged a glance and Sasuke realized his reflex action had made them even more suspicious of him.

Sasuke looked straight ahead and sighed, feeling his exhaustion worming its way into every inch of his body yet again. He shifted all of his and Seto's weight to is one side and made a move to dig in his pockets. The guards jumped at his sudden movement and quickly got into fighting stances. Sasuke just eyed them incredulously before he finally dug out a pass Tsunade had given him.

Calmly, he held it out to the large man, who hesitantly took it while the skinny man stayed alert and focused on Sasuke's every move, ready to attack at any moment. The large man skimmed over the pass and then waved off his partner, who reluctantly got out of a fighting stance. But instead of letting him just pass, then exchanged a glance and then turned back to the teen.

"We will let you pass, but you have to show us what is in the bundle," the first one said.

Sasuke blinked and glanced at them. The words "like hell," came straight to mind, feeling protective of the boy. He chewed on his lip for a moment. "And what if I don't want to show you? What are you going to do?"

The men seemed angered by his words, if not slightly insulted by his attitude. Sasuke made a mental note to work on his attitude. People seem to dislike him in general and his attitude doesn't exactly help him. He had been trying to work on it for Seto's sake, not wanting to get the two of them in more trouble than they already have. It's a work in progress.

"First of all, you will not be allowed to pass and second, you will be leaving here hurt. It would be wise to show us, now," the large man said and Sasuke noted that he seemed to be more talkative than his partner.

Sasuke glanced over the men. They didn't look like much, but he didn't want to underestimate them. With that being said, he was confident that he could take them out if it came down to it. But he hoped that it wouldn't come to that, because that would be messy and he really just didn't feel like wasting the limited energy he had left. He sighed and shifted his weight, trying to keep himself moving so he wouldn't collapse. "Look, I'm not in the mood. I'm not afraid of your little threats and I honestly don't feel like dealing with you. Let me pass, I have a meeting with the Hokage that I am currently late for."

The men ground their teeth together, seeming insulted again. Sasuke rolled his eyes, while secretly feeling proud of himself. Pissed them off after spending less then ten minutes with them, has to be a new record.

"Why you little-," the large man started but Sasuke interrupted him, not wanting to let him finish the thought.

"I'm not going to tell you again. Move."

The large suddenly seemed to reach his limit and stepped forward. Sasuke quickly shifted his weight again so that he could free up his hand. The man grabbed Sasuke's arm and the teen quickly twisted around so that he could get a grip on the man's arm as well. With sudden strength, Sasuke gripped the man's arm tightly, causing the man to let out a yelp of pain and to release his arm.

Sasuke tightened his hold on the man's arm slightly to make his point. The man shouted again, and Sasuke glared at the other man with his Sharingan, effectively keeping the man from stepping to help his partner. "You really shouldn't have tested me. I told you to move and you didn't. I'm tired and I'm cranky, and now I'm pissed off," Sasuke growled, but suddenly stopped and released the man and stepped back.

The two men eyed him as he adjusted his grip on the bundle, that was now moving. They stepped back too, suddenly afraid of the teen and what might pop out of the mysterious bundle. Sasuke briefly glanced at them before he turned to look at Seto, who popped his head out of his blanket and looked around with his eyes hanging down heavily due to sleepiness. He looked around in confusion, glancing at the two men and then a calm Sasuke.

"What's going on, Daddy? Where are we?" he asked, tucking his head against the teen's neck.

The two men blinked in confusion, trying to think it over. Apparently, they concluded, the teen that had almost just kicked their ass was a father and almost did it while holding his son. They eyed the two, unable to deny the resemblance between the two, though the age of the two of them were kind of scary to think about.

Sasuke smiled lightly at the boy and then switched back to a blank face as he turned to the men. "Does this mean I can pass?" he asked, and they nodded dumbly in response.

He smirked and then glanced at the man's arm, seeing distinct bruises of each one of his fingers imprinted in the man's skin. "Sorry about your arm. In my defense, you attacked me first," he said, walking slowly past them. "I'm going to tell the Hokage that."

"What's a Hokage?" Seto asked while mispronouncing the word, his eyes slowly starting to droop again.

Sasuke smirked and secured the blanket around him again. "The Hokage is the leader of the Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaf."

Seto nodded slowly and closed his eyes again. It wasn't long before soft snores were omitted from the small boy. Sasuke smiled softly and made his way through the familiar streets towards the Hokage Tower. Lucky for him, it was still very early and no one was really out yet and he was able to slip into the Hokage Tower without further trouble.

He slowly made his way to Tsunade's office, where he knocked softly on the large wooden door. "Come in," sounded from behind in a tired voice and Sasuke slowly entered.

While Sasuke closed the door behind him, Tsunade took the time to study him. He had grown, that was for sure. He had the same raven hair and pale skin, though his face looked worn from lack of sleep. He was taller, leaner, and possibly the most handsome man she had ever seen, and was no longer a little boy anymore. Though only eighteen, he looked much older and wiser than someone of his own age. She blinked, thinking that he had probably been through more than a person of his own age as well, probably resulting in his wiser and much older appearance.

Tsunade stood and Sasuke crossed the room to stand in front of her desk. She held out her hand and he took it without complaint, holding the small boy in a bundle with his other hand. She eyed the boy for a moment, silently noting that he was quite a cute kid, before she turned her attention back to the teen. "Thank you for seeing me," he said, obviously taking great pains to be polite and accommodating to her. She noted this fact and also made note of the Great Uchiha Pride he was surely wounding by doing this.

She nodded and gestured for him to sit. He nodded and did so, making sure that Seto was comfortable before looking up to the woman that decided his fate. She was studying him carefully and after a moment she took a deep breath and then looked away, choosing to focus on the papers on her desk. "Well, lets not beat around the bush," she started.

xOx

Sakura exited her bathroom dressed in her colorful undergarments and a pair of matching knee-high socks. With a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth, she walked over to her dresser and grabbed her hairbrush before walking back into her private bathroom. Spitting out the toothpaste, she quickly rinsed out the tool and her mouth before she brushed through her hair, grabbing the blow dryer and starting on her hair.

Movement out of the corner of her eyes caught her attention and she turned to see her mother leaning against the doorway. Turning off the blow dryer so that she could hear her mother, she smiled. "Good morning, Mom."

"Morning, sweetheart. I just wanted to remind you of a few things before I leave. I left dinner in the fridge and some money in the jar on top of the fridge in case you want to order out tomorrow," she started before Sakura cut her off.

"Mom, we've been through this. I'm seventeen and I can handle myself for the three days. And I have Aunt Kimi's number in case of emergency," she said, combing through her hair while she stepped towards her mother.

The older woman sighed. "I know. But you know how I hate leaving you alone," she said, gently placing her hands on either side of her daughter face so that she could pull her in to kiss her forehead.

"I'm not a little baby anymore. You can trust me to be able to take care of myself without fear of me being alone. What's going to happen when I move out?"

She mother gave a fake gasp of pain. "Oh, do not say such a thing! You know I would never allow such a thing!" she exclaimed in a teasing manner before kissing her daughter once more. "Okay, I have to get going, the carriage is waiting outside. Goodbye and be careful. Make sure the party you are bound to throw is not too wild," she joked.

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Who says I'm having a party?"

Her mother shook her head and eyed her like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You are a teenager. It is customary to throw a wild party when both of your parents are out of town. Now, I am not one to break tradition, so just promise that the party isn't too wild."

Sakura snorted at her mother. "Fine, I'll cross the biker gang off the invitation. Happy?"

Her mother smiled brightly and nodded. "Yes," she said before giving her daughter yet another kiss. Sakura smiled and hugged her mom before telling her to scat. Her mother rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'm going. I'll send your love to the family. Oh, before I forget, put some clothes on. I don't know where you picked up the habit to do your hair before getting dressed." she muttered as she exited the room.

Sakura briefly glanced at her underwear clad body before shrugging and walking back over to the mirror to finish her hair. Her father was out of town on a mission while her mother was leaving to visit her crazy aunt and family for three days. Contrary to her mother's teasing, Sakura wasn't going to have a party. She had a work today and then a relaxing weekend to herself all planned out.

After finishing getting ready, she ate a quick breakfast her mother had prepared for her before leaving. With her stomach full, she collected her bag and left for the hospital. She was greeted kindly by the receptionist and then she made her way down to her office, where she found the files for her patients waiting.

She didn't take long in her office before she started on her rounds. Checking in with her patients, she was happy to realize that today was going to be an easy day. Luckily, no one seemed to be dying or really sick. By the looks of it, she would probably be able to start her relaxing weekend early, probably by noon.

Like she had assumed, she was able to leave after only working a few hours. Heading over to the Hokage Tower with a few files in her hand, she hummed happily to herself. While walking, she couldn't help but wonder if her sensei had gotten any sleep or if she had just given up with all that paperwork.

She reached Tsunade's office quickly but stopped when she noticed Shizune outside the closed door, seeming to be waiting. As she got closer, she could see the puzzled look on the older woman's face while she stared at the closed door. "Hey, Shizune, what's going on?"

The jumped upon hearing her voice but quickly recovered from her scare. She gave Sakura a sweet smile. "Oh, hello Sakura. Are you here to report to Tsunade?"

Sakura nodded and glanced at the closed door. "Yeah, There isn't much to report but I thought I would stop by and check up on her. She was working late last night and I just wanted to make sure she didn't overwork herself too much, or worse, get into the sake bottle again," she said, ignoring the fact that her question was unanswered.

"Oh, well Tsunade has someone in there right now, but you can wait out here if you would like. I doubt it will be much longer."

Sakura nodded and they made their way over to the chairs outside the door. They chatted idly about nothing of importance for a little before Sakura glanced at the still closed door. "So, how's in there?"

"Oh, well actually, I don't know. They were already in there when I got in this morning and they wouldn't let me in."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Really? Hm, that's odd. Who do you think it is in there?"

Shizune gave another puzzled look before the sound of the door unlocking interrupted their conversation. They stood up and made their way over to the door, which had opened slightly before it stopped. Sakura could hear some muttering from close behind the door but she didn't bother trying to pick out what was being said, not wanting to intrude on someone's business.

After a moment, she heard a strong male voice mutter a 'okay' and a 'thank you' before the door started to open again. She stepped back to make room for the person about to exit but froze when she caught sight of the male standing in the doorway.

He wasn't facing her, instead looking at Tsunade as she stood behind him saying something to him, and he hadn't noticed her yet. She opened her mouth to speak, to say something, to clear me throat and draw their attention, to do something, but found she couldn't. Instead, all she could manage was a small whimper.

As soon as it escaped her lips, she mentally cursed herself. But after a moment, she inner self rationalize that, given the current situation, it was understandable. After all, she was still having a hard time accepting the fact that the Sasuke Uchiha was standing in front of her.

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**Reviews are welcome.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Edit: Well, i edited it. Yup. I'm not going to say much except that i combined the second and third chapter. Yup. There might be a few mistakes.**

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The sound of a small whimper met Sasuke's ears and he automatically glanced down to Seto. The boy was still sleeping, much to Sasuke's confusion, and the teen wondered if Seto was having a nightmare or something. However, this didn't seem likely because the boy looked completely comfortable, resting peacefully in his arms.

Sasuke blinked and then turned to find the source of the noise. Though it took less than a few seconds for Sasuke to locate Sakura standing almost directly behind him, it felt so much longer to Sakura, who was still frozen in shock. It was then Sasuke's turn to freeze.

They stared at each other for a long moment, both at a loss as to what to do next. Sasuke finally tore his eyes away from hers and took in her appearance. To say that she was pretty would be an understatement. She had grown, he noted dimly, into a gorgeous woman. She still a small thing, but naturally taller than she was before, probably a full head shorter than him. Her hair had grown to about shoulder length and she still had the same large, expressive, dazzling emerald eyes. She was wearing a t-shirt, he noticed and a pair of shorts. She shirt was relatively loose but clung to her in such a way as to let Sasuke know that her figure had changed without really showing off her goods.

Sakura, sensing that he was eyeing her, blushed but couldn't bring herself to try and say something. Instead, she looked away in embarrassment and nervousness, hoping for the awkward moment to end quickly.

Tsunade decided to step in that that moment, seeing that neither had anything to say to each other for one reason or another. Sensing that she should get this moving, she gently placed her hand on Sasuke's shoulder and then cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention. "Well, Sasuke, why don't you head down to the Uchiha Compound and get settled in. Do you have any of the necessities, like clothes and food?"

He stared at her for a moment, seeming to try to collect himself. He nodded after a long moment. "Yeah. I brought some for the both of us. I have about a day's worth of food and a few days of clothes. I'm going to need to go shopping but we'll be fine for today."

She nodded. "Good. Go home and then you can catch up with friends later," she said, diving him a gently nudge.

He nodded and glanced at Sakura quickly before he walked passed them, intent on getting home as soon as possible. His arms were going numb from holding Seto for so long and he wanted to get the boy into a proper bed.

As soon as he was out of sight, Sakura turned to stare at her sensei in obvious confusion. She thought the encounter over in her head, realizing for the first time that he had said 'we' instead of 'I'. But in her confused and shocked state, she had failed to notice the sleeping boy in his arms. Instead, she mind immediately jumped to a girl that he had brought home with him.

Her sensei eyed her, seeing this devastated look on her face. from the looks of it, Sakura was having a hard time stand as she swayed slightly, and she was clutching her heart. Shizune and Tsunade both grabbed a arm and gently towed her into the older woman's office and sat her down. "Now don't jump to conclusions. I have to explain the situation to you," she began.

xOx

Sasuke and Tsunade had talked for a pretty good amount of time and the streets were a lot busier now. At first, no one seemed to notice him but as he got into the denser populated areas, people began stopping what they were doing to stare. Quiet murmurs filled the air around him and Sasuke felt the eyes of every person on him.

He was used to stares by now. Even when he was young, people stared and talked, in the Sound it was no different. But when he was little, people eyed him like train wreck, a spectacle. In the Sound, people eyed him with a mixture of respect and dislike. Now, they eyed him in hatred and disgust.

Sasuke kept his stare straight ahead, not acknowledging the people around him. Holding the sleeping child to his chest, he remained strong and quickly made his way through the crowds to his new home. It was a simple logic, he noticed; it wasn't a good time to be a Uchiha right now.

He was severely happy when he entered the Uchiha Compound and he was lone again. Going deep into the grounds, he eyed the houses, looking for one that was big and relatively livable. After the massacre, he had moved into an apartment to get away from the Compound. But now, he knew it would be better to stay in the Compound, as long as he stayed away from the Grande Uchiha Manor. Now it was just a matter of choosing which house to live in.

Soon he came across his Aunt's and Uncle's old home. It was pretty big. If he recalled correctly, it had five bedrooms, two and a half baths, a large kitchen and dining room, a good sized living room, an office, a storage room, and a nice large backyard to train in with a patio. It was small compared to the Grand Uchiha Manor that he used to live in as a child with his family, but it would do nicely for two.

It was weird entering it after so many years. He remember clearly entering almost daily through the same doors and rushing to the kitchen, where his aunt always was. His uncle, he remembered, was usually in his office, the backyard, or lounging in the living room. It was odd to be back now and not rush to the kitchen, to not smell the warm, delicious food cooking as soon as he entered, to see the many signs of neglect and abandonment on the interior.

It was dirty and covered in dust and cobwebs. The good thing was no one had set foot in the Uchiha Compound since his own departure of the place so the furniture was still present and various house hold items. Sasuke glanced around then slowly made his way into the living room where he dusted the couch off quickly and laid Seto down.

His arms ached terribly and he stretched them and tried to get blood flow to ease the ache, it didn't work well. And his arms wasn't the only thing aching. With the boy out of his hands, his body protested loudly and demanded some rest. Unfortunately, he ignored this and located the cleaning supplies. He had a lot to do before he could even think about resting.

xOx

Sakura stared at her sensei as the words slowly sank in. Her mind whirled as she tried to process the fact that anyone had left Sasuke Uchiha- the emotionally constipated prodigy who cared for only himself- in charge of a kid. And from what little Tsunade could tell her, Sasuke seemed to be really attached to the boy. Every thought and belief from recent years rejected this idea.

"Sakura, as you are aware, Sasuke may need some help caring for this child. It is for this reason that I want you to help him. You, Naruto and Kakashi were the only ones to get close enough to Sasuke and will probably be the only ones to be able to really help him," Tsunade said calmly, staring at her student in a overly business-like tone that Sakura didn't like.

A weird feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, like thing bad was going to happen. "But why me? Naruto and Kakashi were way closer to him than I ever was. Why can't they do it?"

Tsunade eyed her like it was an obvious thing. "Are you kidding me? Naruto and Kakashi can barely take care of themselves. It is amazing that the two have survived this long alone," she said and then suddenly switched her tone to a calmer, more persuasive tone. "You are a people person and are great with kids. You are the best for this task."

Sakura chewed on her lip. While there was no denying that her sensei as right, it still did not ease the discomfort of having to face him again. She sighed suddenly, cursing herself for being selfish. She has been given the job to help a child in need and she was hesitating because of some awkwardness.

Tsunade eyed her. "So do you accept?" she asked, though Sakura hardly had a choice.

She sighed again and looked at her teacher. "Yes," she all but whispered.

Tsunade smiled wickedly. "Good," she said and then handed the teen a scroll. "Give this to Sasuke, it explains the situation, and then you can begin to move your things to the Uchiha Compound today. I've arranged everything already. He's expecting someone to move in with him, and I'm sure he will be happy that it's you and not some strange ANBU."

A eerie silenced filled the room for a moment as Sakura processed what she was just told. "Excuse me?" she asked after a long moment, unsure she heard her right.

"I said you can give that scroll to Sasuke and then move in with him," she repeated.

Sakura stared blankly at the blonde woman in front of her. "You want me to move in with him?"

Tsunade nodded calmly. "Yes."

"You want me to move in with him?"

"Yes," she repeated.

"You want me to move in this him?"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Sakura, I will not tell you again."

"You want me to move in with him!" she exclaimed, it finally seeming to sink in. "What! I can't! My parents will never allow it! And it's Sasuke we are talking about! I can't live with him!"

Tsunade rubbed her temples and waited for Sakura's breathing to slow before she tried to persuade her to listen. "Sakura, Sasuke is a boy who grew up alone with limited personally contact with people. He now has no choice but to care for a child and there is only so much he can do by himself. You are the best for the job."

Sakura interrupted her here. "But why do I have to move in with him?"

Tsunade glared for being interrupted but answer the question none the less. "Because he is a traitor. Not only is your job to help with the boy, but you are to watch him too, and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. He seems sincere but I can't risk it.

"As for your parents, I have sent them a scroll explaining the situation. Since this is considered a mission, they have no say in where you are to live if you accept this mission. Now knowing all of this, are you willing to accept this mission?"

Sakura was silent for a long moment before sighing. "Yes, I accept this mission." she said in an solemn voice.

Tsunade smirked, clearly happy that she won. "Good. Now there is one more thing you should know. Under no condition are you to tell anyone that the kid isn't Sasuke's. Sasuke wants as little people as possible knowing that Seto is Itachi's son. To everyone of little consequence to the situation, they will only know that Seto is Sasuke's son."

Sakura nodded while she stared at the scroll in her hand. Tsunade put a fake smile on her face. "You are dismissed." Sakura nodded and slowly exited the room.

Going straight to the Uchiha Compound, her mind whirled in circles the entire time she walked. One moment she was mentally preparing herself for a relaxing weekend and then the next she has to start thinking about getting boxes for all her crap. It was hard to grasp and she would be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little afraid.

Coming across the Uchiha Compound, she tried to push the thoughts away so she could focus on trying to locate the house she was going to be living in for god knows how long. She went deep into the Compound, having a feeling that he would wan to be farthest away from the general population as possible. It wasn't hard to spot the one house with the light on in one of the rooms.

She walked over to the door and knocked lightly. With her nerves making her stomach flip the entire time, she waited for a minute before she knocked again a little louder. When no answer came, she took a deep breath and knocked again. Except this time, the door opened and her fist did not make contact with the wood and instead a very toned chest.

Realizing that she just knocked on his chest, Sakura open her mouth to spoke but couldn't think of what to say. Blushing deeply, she froze in total mortification. Sasuke blinked, completely unaffected by it. He stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.

Stepping inside slowly, Sakura watched as Sasuke disappeared through a doorway of a room to her right. She removed her shoes at the door and pushed them to the side, glancing around her. From what she could see, the house was dark and dirty. The air felt stuffy from being closed off for so long and everything in view was covered in dust.

Sakura followed Sasuke into the room, seeing that it was the kitchen and dining room. It had been cleaned, she noticed right away. It was huge, probably smaller than her family's living room, kitchen and dining room combined. Half the room was the kitchen area, consisting of a large counter area that wrapped along the back wall, a refrigerator, stove and oven, and an island. The other half had a large table that looked like it could expand to fit at least ten comfortably by adding the leafs, which were leaning against the wall on the other side. The room had various cleaning products spread around and the air was much fresher because the windows were open and a breeze was filtering in.

"Would you like something to drink? There's water, but that's about it. I haven't gone shopping yet," he said while he rummaged through a small bin with cleaning supplies in it. After a moment he produced a rag and wiped down his hands.

"No, I'm fine," Sakura said as she stepped forward and produced the scroll from her bag that was hanging from her shoulder. She held it out to him. "It's from Tsunade."

He eyed her quickly, seeing her very business-like stance, and then threw down the rag on the counter before he gripped the scroll. Sakura waited patiently as he read it over. Though he portrayed no emotions, he inwardly chuckled at the situation. The air was so tense between them that it was almost suffer caring and now he finds out that she is to move in with him to baby sit him and Seto.

With a deep breath, he closed the scroll and looked to his new roommate. She was now staring past his shoulder in order not to be looking at him. Sensing his stare, she looked up and smiled awkwardly. "So . . . , there you have it,"

He nodded in agreement. "There you have it," he repeated, while staring at his feet. He looked up and leaned against the island. "When do you plan to move in?"

She blinked, not expecting him to be the one to start up the conversation. He stared at his face, seeing that he was trying to make the situation easier. She puffed out her cheeks and blew out her air slowly. "Um, I haven't actually thought about it. Well, I guess I could head over to my house now and start packing. I'll return later tonight and bring whatever I have packed."

Sasuke nodded, mentally noting that he could clean hers and Seto's rooms next. They would need a place to sleep so after the kitchen is done, that's his next priority. Then the bathroom. Then, if he had time, his own bedroom. And laundry, he had to do that.

Sakura smiled, noting that Sasuke wasn't paying attention to her anymore and was thinking intently about something. She cleared her throat and he snapped his attention back to her. She slowly took a deep back. "Well, I'll see you tonight, then."

"Yeah," he said lamely before she flashed him a parting smile and turned and exited the room. Letting herself out, she headed towards her parents home, forcing herself to focus on the task of packing instead of the handsome raven haired teen.

She made it home quickly, considering that her home was on the opposite side of the village. Opening the door and grabbed the mail from the mailbox by the door. Leafing through them quickly, she closed the door and set her keys and bag down on the table by the door like she usually did. Deciding that the mail was nothing of importance, she tossed the envelops onto the table as well before moving to the living room.

Plopping down, she rested her feet on the coffee table and stared at the ceiling for a long moment, trying to relax for a moment. She sighed and quickly gave up trying to achieve this. Instead she decided to focus on the fact that she is going to give her parents heart attack when they return home.

Her father is really strict. He says she isn't allowed to date until she is eighteen and he must meet the 'suitor' and must approve of him before they can date. And Sakura knows that as soon as her father finds out that she has moved into a man's house, for a mission or not, he's going to assume that she is in a sexual relationship with him. And to make things much worse, her father doesn't like Sasuke to begin with.

She let out a frustrated scream before sinking lower into the couch, and covering her face with her hands. Sitting like this for about twenty minutes, she finally sighed and got up, her mind set on the task of packing.

xOx

Seto's eyes slowly fluttered open. After a moment to adjust, he slowly sat up and looked around. He was on the couch, wrapped up in the blanket in such a way so to keep him from getting dirty. The couch and the furniture around him was all covered in dust and dirt, the air hot and stuffy.

He looked around, seeing a light coming from the room across the hall. He stood up slowly and hesitantly made his way over. He had been told many times to stay by Sasuke's side and now, without him in sight, he was afraid.

He leaned against the wall and peeked into the well-lit room. Glancing around quickly, his eyes met Sasuke's form standing by a counter, wiping his hands on a rag. Without stopping to look around farther, he sprinted as fast as his little legs could take him.

Sasuke heard the loud footsteps of an untrained child as tossed the rag down quickly. Turned around at the right moment, he caught Seto just in time as the boy tried to scrapper into his arms. Sasuke smirked and hugged the boy tightly.

When they released each other from the hug, Seto took the time to look around. With wide eyes, he stared and looked around in wonder at the big and bright room. "Where are we?"

Sasuke smiled, watching the childish innocence play across the boys face. It had been a long time since he had shared the same innocence, and even longer since Itachi had. Looking at Seto now, Sasuke could see the Uchiha resembles.

"This is our new home. It's a little dirty right now, but I'll fix that."

Seto turned his attention to the teen. "This is our new home!" he exclaimed, mispronouncing his words again like he always did. Sasuke smiled and nodded.

Setting him down, Seto quickly rushed out of the room and hooked a right. Moments later, he ran by the doorway again, screaming at the tops of his lungs. Sasuke shook his head, knowing that he was going to have to give Seto a bath after he gets done searching through the dirty house.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the cleaning supply bin and following Seto up the stairs. "Be careful, Buddy. I don't want you to get hurt," he called as he climbed the stairs. Moments later he heard giggles.

xOx

Hours later, she found herself in the room that she previously called her room. Now the room was just a mess of all of her things scattered around. She had tried to organize it all, but wound up getting more disorganized with each item she found. She sighed, looking around at all of her stuff scattered around on the furniture, the floor and trash bags. She never realized she had this much stuff.

She grabbed the packing tape and taped up another box filled with the things she was leaving. She pushed the box against the wall, trying to get it out of the way. With a grunt, she stood up and stretched before going down to the kitchen to ease her rumbling stomach. She heat up the dinner her mother had let and leaned against the counter and slowly ate.

She couldn't wrap her mind around everything. She was going to move in and have to deal with all the awkwardness and try to deal with Sasuke's mood swings. And have to be away from the her safe haven, her family and childhood home. And as she thought about this, she realized that she was scared. Obviously it wasn't a 'oh my god, I'm going to die' kind of scared but instead a scared of the unknown type of thing.

She finished up the food and walked to the sink to clean her dishes. She had lived a normal life, being smart, but relatively average. She was put on an extraordinary team which led to friendship, strength, and heartbreak. She had grown as a person, becoming the Hokage's student and surpassing her in skill, and was surprisingly happy considering that Sasuke was gone and there was a hole in her team. But now Sasuke is suddenly back in the picture, by his own accord, and with a child no less.

She didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to deal with all of this. She didn't know if moving in with Sasuke was going to break her heart even more or if it was going to strengthen a friendship that they never really had.

And now that she was thinking of Sasuke, she could help but think about how much he had changed. He still had the same features, but they had changed and matured. He was even hotter than he ever was. He was truly a man now.

Sakura finished washing her dishes and dried them. While putting them away she couldn't help but realize that she was either the luckiest or unluckiest person in the world.

Brushing off the thought, she went back up to her room and started up her packing efforts. Almost two and a half hours later, she stopped and collected her things for overnight. She pulled that bog on her shoulder and then grabbed two of the boxes because she couldn't carry anything else.

She locked up the house and then walked over to the new Uchiha Manor. Walking with her hands full was pretty hard and she almost asked Rock Lee to help her when she saw him down the street. But she decided against it so she wouldn't have to explain the situation. Instead she ducked into a nearby store, ignoring the people that stared at her, wand waited for him to pass before she left.

As she walked, she realized that was she slightly excited. She was scared but at the same time she couldn't fight the strange urge she felt to go to the Uchiha Manor. She wanted to spend time with Sasuke again. She wanted to meet this Seto that she has heard about but never seen. She was excited and nervous as hell.

She finally made it there after the longest time and knocked with great difficulty. She waited for a long moment and then knocked again when there was no answer. She waited in the chilly October air for ten more minutes before she silently let herself in.

She felt awkward, having only entering the place once before and then just walking in on her second visit. And even worse, she felt as if she was disturbing Sasuke's privacy. Putting the boxes down, she couldn't help but wonder if it was always going to feel like she was walking into someone else's house or if she would ever get used to walking in here.

She closed the door behind herself and looked around. No one was in sight. The hallway light was on and it seemed to have been swept, but not dusted. Glancing to her right, she saw no one in the kitchen but the light was on and glancing to the left, the room was dark and she couldn't see much. It was extremely quiet, and she felt unease because of this fact.

She leaned against the wall and removed her shoes. Once they were off, she pushed them off out the way and then straightened out her posture. She was unbuttoning her coast when she heard loud footfalls pounding against the wood floor and then a yell.

"MOMMY!" it shouted.

Sakura looked just in time to see a little boy running towards her. For some reason, the boy only had on pajama pants and was running around shirtless. But she was unable to focus on this fact when he was suddenly upon her. He jumped up and grabbed a hold of her coat. Within seconds, he had somehow managed to find a way into Sakura's arms.

A shocked and confused Sakura held onto to him, having no clue as to why he had called her 'mommy'. She was so shocked that she barely registered the fact that he was muttering something that she couldn't make out. She also noticed that the boy's hair and parts of his body was wet.

"Um . . . ," she chocked out in confusion but the boy didn't even seem to notice.

Sasuke suddenly came down the stairs. He had one of the rare smiles on his face and quickly faded to a puzzled expression at the sight that greeted him. She noticed that he was carrying a towel and the pajama shirt in his hand and had momentarily froze in spot.

Sakura stared at him in a complete loss for words. She didn't even know how to explain how she had wound up in the situation. She stared at Sasuke with wide eyes and holding the boy in her arms.

Sasuke was the first to speak. "I see you met Seto."

* * *

**Yup. Enjoy and please review. Next Chapter will be up soon and hopefully a edit will be too.**


	3. Chapter 3

**EDIT: Hey. so i combined the third and fourth chapter into his newly edited third chapter. Also, i added some new shenanigans, so enjoy it. No rambling. I'm currently working on the newest chapter which will be the 47th after i post this one. So Yeah.**

**Thanks to all that reviewed.**

* * *

Sakura froze, unable to move or even think. She felt confused, surprised and for some reason, embarrassed. She didn't have much reason to be embarrassed but, with the way Sasuke was looking at her now, a look she couldn't quite depict but left her feeling sort of breathless, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed by it all. There was just something about Sasuke that could leave her feeling flustered and like she was a little kid in love again.

But she brushed the last thought away because she wasn't in love anymore. She was over him. He had hurt her and the rest of team seven so much. She had come to terms with the fact that he wasn't coming home and that they were never going to be anything to each other. She accepted this and now was over him. But, her inner self couldn't help but butt in, he was back and seemed to be a different person now.

Seto moved just then, breaking her from her thoughts. He had moved his head so that he could look up at her and she looked down him, seeing the innocently happy expression fade to a devastatingly pathetic expression of sadness. She felt her stomach drop at the expression on his face and knowing that she had, in a way, caused it. He must have thought she was someone else, she concluded.

Sasuke chose this moment to intervene. He crossed the distance between them slowly until he was right in front of her. Sakura blushed a deeper red at how close they were but Sasuke seemed to be completely ignoring her, instead focusing on the boy.

He placed his hand on the boy's back and Seto turned his head to look at Sasuke. Sakura eyed the soft expression on Sasuke's face and watched as Seto let go of her coat and grabbed a hold of Sasuke's shirt. Sasuke reached forward and wrapped his arms around the boy, accidentally brushing against Sakura in the process and making a tingling sensation rush through said girl, and pulled the boy from her arms.

Sasuke stepped back and Sakura glanced over the boy, finally getting a good look at him. He looked remarkably similar to the teen. They had the same hair color as well as the same complexion and dark eyes. However, there was some things slightly off between them. There were little things that didn't match up between the two and it took a moment for Sakura to remember that Seto wasn't actually Sasuke's son. And while the two brother's looked alike, enough that most would confuse them at first glance and confuse their kids, Sakura could see the feature's between the two that varied, only small differences.

With this new knowledge in forefront of her mind, she began comparing the boy to Itachi. She had seen the older man a few times, enough to know what he looked like and be able to pick out his features from Seto. They had the same eyes shape, they varied from Sasuke, and the same style of hair. Seto's hair hung flat against his head like his father's, long but not long enough to pull into a ponytail, instead of defying gravity like his uncle's. Glancing over him, Sakura could see that he was a little mini version of Itachi. An innocent mini version on him.

Sasuke draped the towel over the boy's body and gently began to rub him in a comforting way while drying the boy off. Sakura stared at Sasuke in disbelief. He looked like a father. She had only seen the cold Sasuke, only catching glimpses of the true face that hid behind the mask. But there was no denying that she was really seeing him now. She saw the two of them like a father and son instead of the uncle and nephew they were. She saw the caring nature that Sasuke never publicly displayed. She hadn't known it was possible, but it seems like Sasuke is human after all, able to care about others.

Sasuke eyed the boy in his arms. He was carefully avoiding looking at her and his face was growing red. He could tell that he was disappointed, having really thought that Sakura was his mother coming back. Sasuke rubbed circles on the boy's back, knowing that with each moment Seto was getting more upset and a fit was about to ensue. After a moment, Sasuke heard a sniffle and then another. Finally, without shame or embarrassment like only a kid could do, a wave of tears escaped the boy and a loud sob.

Sakura pressed her hand to her heart, hating when people cry. It always reminds her of all the tears she has cried, and the many reasons why. Seeing a person cry made bad feelings come up, and then she began to feel worse when she was feeling sorry for herself when other's were in pain of some sort. And it was worse to see kids cry.

Sasuke pulled they boy closer to him and hugged him tightly. Sakura watched as Sasuke quietly whispered something, probably comforting words, in the boy's ear. Sakura watched for a few awkward minutes before the words seemed to start calming little Seto down. She looked away after a moment, feeling as if she was intruding on a personal moment between the two of them.

After what seemed like a millennium, Seto was calm enough that Sasuke turned his attention back to Sakura. She was looking away so he gently reached out to her. His fingers barely brushed her arm and she jumped. With his hand still lingering on her arm, he pulled it back and pointed to the kitchen before he slowly started forward. She watched him disappear from view and then quickly removed her coat and followed him, leaving her things by the door.

Seto was still in Sasuke's arms when she entered. He was standing in front of a nearly empty fridge, looking in and thinking about something. After a moment, he noticed her entrance and gestured to the table. She nodded and made her way over, making herself comfortable and then watching the two.

Seto was neatly tucked against Sasuke chest, resting his head in the crook of the teen's neck. His arms were wrapped around his neck, his right fist clutching the back of Sasuke's shirt, and had a tired expression on his face. After a moment, Sasuke moved away from the fridge and went to the cabinets and produced a cup. He skillfully filled it with water and handed it to the boy using only one hand. From the looks of it, Sakura noticed, he had gotten used to doing things while holding Seto.

"Would you like anything to drink?" he asked with his back to her still.

She shook her head and then remember that he couldn't see the gesture. "Oh, no. I'm good for now."

There was a moment's pause and he busied himself with washing Seto's cup after the boy finishing drinking from it. The boy rested his head back into the crook of Sasuke's neck, hiding from Sakura's view. After a moment, Sasuke turned and paused, noticing that she was staring. He gave her a questioning glance and she looked away quickly, embarrassed to be caught staring.

Sasuke crossed the room and sat across from her, making sure that Seto was comfortable before turning his attention to her. She racked her brain for something to say, anything to ease the awkwardness between them. She put a smile on her face and blurted the first thing that came to mind. "I started packing. I got a lot done but I was only able to carry two boxes over myself. I was hoping to go back and finish the job tomorrow and maybe get some help to move it all over here."

Sasuke nodded and at first, wasn't going to say anything but decided to at least contribute a little after seeing an expression of encouragement that she was unknowingly giving him. "Well, I could help you and maybe Naruto too, if he's not busy," he said lamely and awkwardly.

She noticed the awkwardness but also noted the great pain he had taken to at least try and contribute. He was trying to get along with her. She could tell that he felt the incompetence of the situation as much as she did but he was trying instead of just pushing her away. For that, she was grateful.

They chatted idly for a few minutes until Sasuke glanced down at Seto to see the child sleeping, tired after his fit. Sasuke glanced at Sakura and then slowly and carefully stood up. "Come. I have to get him to get him to bed and I'll show you your room."

Sakura nodded and followed Sasuke as he led her towards the stairs, exactly across from the front door. He pointed out rooms as they passed them. Across from the kitchen was the living room on the left. Going down the wall, there was another door on the left that Sasuke said was an office. Across the office door was a small hallway with a door at the end and another on the left wall of it. Sasuke said it was the bathroom on the left and the laundry and storage room at the end of it.

Going up the stairs, Sakura was greeted with two hallways. To her left was a hall that branched off the main hall directly ahead. This hall had a door at the end and a door on the left, very similar to the hall downstairs. Sasuke explained that the left side door was the bathroom she would be using and an extra bedroom.

She glanced down the main hall. There was a door right next to the stairs on the right and two other doors even spaced along that side of the wall. On the other side of the hall was only one door, close to corner of other hall. Sakura eyed this all before she watched as Sasuke entered the first door close to the stairs.

Sakura stood in the doorway and watched as Sasuke moved around. There was a bed in the corner that Sasuke gently placed the boy on. The room was furnished, looking like a teen used to live in there judging by the old rock and punk posters along the walls. Sakura noticed that things were packed away into boxes, like Sasuke had already been in there, cleaning it out and it made her wonder who lived there before.

Sasuke gently pulled on the pajama shirt before he let the boy really lay down. Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at her. "Can you hand me those clean sheets?" he asked, pointing to a stack on a dresser by the door. Sakura nodded and grabbed them before crossing the room to hand them to him. He nodded a thank you and tucked in Seto, stopping to give him a kiss on the forehead. Sakura smiled at this.

Sasuke sat perched on the edge of the bed, staring at the sleeping child. Sakura searched her mind for something to say, anything to lessen the tension between them. Her mind drew a blank and she quickly blurted out the first thing that happened to occur to her. "Why did he call me Mommy?" she asked and then scolder herself for such a stupid question.

Sasuke didn't bother looking at her, instead focusing on Seto. His eyes were slightly swollen from crying and it pulled on his heart strings. He hated when he cried or was upset in anyway.

_(Flashback)_

_Sasuke sat perched at the window of the old, creaky home. The rain hit the glass at a steady pace and slowly streaked down the glass, joining with other drops and gaining momentum. He worked to try and keep his mind blank, but was failing. Instead, his mind repeatedly went back to the dream he had of his old team in Konoha and then sadness that followed upon waking up to discover it was a dream._

_His thoughts were interrupted by a quiet knock on the door and Sasuke glanced at it. No one entered- everyone knew better-and Sasuke looked away, deciding to ignore it. A few moments later, a another knock sounded that went ignored. When a third knock followed, Sasuke heaved a sigh and got up, deciding to yell at the person disturbing him._

_He swung open the door angrily and glared at the man in front of him. It was no one important he noticed, a low rank shinobi. "What is so important that you have to disturb me?"_

_The man flinched at his harsh tone, clearly intimidated. "Um . . . I'm sorry to disturb you, but . . . there is someone here to see you."_

_Sasuke was still for a moment and the guy seemed to panic because of his silence. The dark haired teen let out a huff and pushed past the man, making sure to shove the man with his shoulder, and headed to the front room._

_He was currently staying in hide out house for a mission of his. Orochimaru assigned him to be the leader of a certain assignment. The men he was in charge of drove him crazy and he wanted to kill them all just to shut him up, but the mission was almost over, thank god, he reminded himself often._

_He entered the front room and stood in the doorway. The stupid sound nin that he hated, oh so much, were all crowded in the small room. Standing in the middle of them was a familiar woman that he dreaded seeing. She was smiling at them, loving the attention they were giving her. In truth, she was probably the prettiest woman that they had ever seen and they were all eagerly trying to pick her up._

_She looked up and smiled sweetly when she spotted him in the doorway. She pushed past the men and they all groaned when they saw who she was walking towards. They knew they didn't stand a chance with Sasuke in the equation. Woman flock to him._

_Sasuke examined him. Her hair had grown a bit since the last time he had seen her. I know reached to the middle of her back, the dark brown color contrasting deeply with her creamy skin. Her gray eyes were framed by expertly done make-up and thick lashes. Though the dark black coat was covering her, Sasuke remembered that she had a very fit and, he will even admit, sexy body._

_The woman smiled and pulled the teen into a hug, much to his dismay. He looked at the men in the room, all staring at him and the mystery woman. He glared and cleared his throat and they all scrambled to leave the two alone. The woman glanced over her shoulder to see they were gone and pouted, having lost a form of entertainment._

_"Oh, Sasuke, why do you always have to ruin all my fun?" she exclaimed before opening her dark black coat and removing it. Sasuke eyed the revealing top she wore and the short skirt that accompanied the knee-high boots she wore._

_He sighed. "What do you want, Akina?"_

_She rolled her eyes. "Always straight to the point. No 'how are you' or 'how's it going'," she said in a mocking tone that earned her a deep glare from the teen. It was her turn to sigh. "Fine, fine. I came here because I need someone to , um . . . how can I put this . . . , baby-sit for me."_

_"Why?" Sasuke deadpanned. _

_She smiled and ran her hand down his chest and he swatted her hand away. "I'm only sixteen, remember. You're already twenty. Hands off me."_

_She pouted for a moment before leaned forward, pressing her hand against his chest again and hovering her lips close to his. "Yeah, but you'll be seventeen in five month. It's not nearly as bad. Plus, age is only a number."_

_"Not interested," he muttered, gently pushing her away from him. She pursed her lips but he ignored it, trying to get back to business. "Why do you need me to take Seto?"_

_She smiled innocently. "I just got some stuff to do. I need to go out for a bit and then I will be back for him in no time," she said in a tone that tried to sound innocent but Sasuke could see right through it. "He's in the kitchen right now."_

_Sasuke poked his head into the kitchen doorway. Indeed, Seto was in there. Little fourteen month old Seto was sitting on the floor of the dirty kitchen with several Sound nin staring at him. No one wanted to touch him, but they were obviously confused as to why a baby was just chilling on their floor. _

_Sasuke knew that if he said that he would watch him, he would be taking full care of the boy. He knew that if Akina was able to get away without him, she was never coming back. Or at least, she wasn't coming back until it served to be convenient to her. Akina was a sorry excuse of a mother and the young teen knew that he couldn't leave Seto with her. It was a wonder that Seto was still alive and unharmed. Sasuke didn't really want to, but he really had no choice._

_He glanced back at the woman in front of him. She was smiling victoriously, knowing that he cared too much for his brother's son to let her go away with him again. Sasuke scowled at her confident smile and wanted so badly to say no just to wipe that smile off her face. _

_"Fine," he deadpanned and then marched into the kitchen and gentle scooped the child into his arms. Akina smiled and jumped up and down, following him into the kitchen and continued to gloat._

_"Thank you so much, Sasuke! You're the best!" she said and then quickly smashed her lips against his before he could protest. Sasuke didn't kiss her back but he waited until she done before he pulled away. She smiled and kissed his cheek, no doubt leaving a lipstick mark, before pulling on her coat._

_She walked to the door, thanking him again all the while. Seto reached out his arms for her and let out a whine but she ignored him._

_"Thanks, Sasuke. I'll be back soon," she lied before disappearing, leaving her child._

_Seto stared at the door for a moment before he started crying and screaming. Sasuke sighed and adjust him in his arms so that he was turned around and gently hugged the boy. He glanced around the kitchen, ignoring the stares of the men, and noticed that Akina hadn't left anything for the boy. Sasuke let out a quiet sigh, cursing Akina to the deepest depths of hell for making his life so much more difficult._

_He turned to the nearest Sound nin and grabbed a hold of his shirt. "Go to the store and get things for a fourteen month old." The man looked confused._

_"I don't know what he will need," he admitted, clearly afraid that Sasuke would get angry._

_The teen sighed and turned to face on of the few woman Sound nin in the house with them. She seemed to know more about children than anyone else around and Sasuke remembered her mention something about a little brother back home. She saw his stare and smiled, jumping down from her seat on the counter._

_"I'll help him, Sasuke," she said flirtatiously, briefly brushing her hand against his arm. Sasuke resisted the urge to pull away from her and nodded to her, almost grateful that she was helping._

_He turned on his heels and headed back towards his room. "Don't disturb me unless you have the items I requested," he called as he closed the door._

_(End of Flashback)_

Sasuke kept his gaze on Seto. He didn't bother answering her, but he knew the answer. Though Seto was still very young when his mother left him, the boy could still vaguely remember her. And one of the things he remembers was her coat. She wore the same one all the time. The one Sakura wore looked just like it. When he saw Sakura's coat, he must just assumed it was her. Must have been the reason he cried so much.

Sasuke stood wordlessly and walked over to the doorway. He paused and Sakura took this as a sign to follow his lead and exited the room quickly. He paused to take one more look inside before closing the door and then leading her down the second hallway. Sakura made note that she would be the closest to the bathroom.

Sasuke entered before her and stepped aside so she could enter. She looked around. Like the previous room, it was newly cleaned and had boxes pushed to the side. The walls were a pale cream color with boy band posters lingering on the wall and ceiling. Though it looked like Sasuke cleaned out most of the pervious person's belongings, Sakura concluded it was a little girl, probably around the same age Sasuke was when the Massacre occurred.

"I got most of the room clean. The boxes will be taken away tomorrow, and everything else will be cleaned out as well. The bed is clean and that whole dresser is empty. This small table and the closet is the last thing that needs to be cleaned out. I'll do it while you finish packing," he muttered from his position by the door.

Sakura nodded. Usually, she would have offered to do it herself, but she just couldn't this time. She couldn't imagine going through the belongings of a little girl, cleaning it all out, knowing in the back of her mind that the little girl was dead.

Sakura tried to clear her thoughts. Instead of looking at it as the room of a dead little girl, she looked at it as her new room. She wasn't too pleased with some of the furniture, it seeming really girly and the fact that it had pink bunnies painted on it didn't help either. She did, however, notice that the room was huge. It was about the size of her old room and about half of the guest bedroom put together. She was pleased with that, since she was always complaining to her mother that her room was too small.

"We can get new furniture if you don't like these ones. They are kind of . . ." he trailed off and Sakura couldn't help but laugh.

"It looks like a cute little fairy threw up all over this room."

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. You should have seen it before I cleaned it out. This is definitely an improvement," he stated and Sakura turned to smile at him.

"One can only imagine."

He nodded his head, not knowing what else to do or say. An awkward moment settled over them and Sakura turned to examine the room again. After a moment, Sasuke suggested that he make some tea and Sakura willingly obliged. They headed out the room together and Sasuke stopped to point out his room. It was the only door on the left side of the hall and he explained that it was the master suite.

They made their way down into the kitchen. Sakura sat herself at the table while Sasuke made the tea.

"So, do you want to know what everyone has been up to?" she kindly asked.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding slowly. She smiled kindly at him and began talking. There really wasn't anything very substantial to report. She told him about the big crimes or scandals in the village, who was dating who, who wanted who, what idiotic things someone did, like when Tsunade and Naruto got drunk and ended up waking up half the village by stumbling down the streets singing Christmas songs in July at the top of their lungs. Sasuke didn't say much, just sipped his tea and occasionally threw in a 'Dobe', 'Idiot' or 'Moron' when he deemed it necessary.

But even though Sakura did all the talking, the air was no longer so tense. They were both able to relax and just enjoy the time spent together. Sakura couldn't help but notice that this was the most comfortable she had ever felt around him. And Sasuke seemed pretty relaxed too, even almost laughing a few times instead of his usual chuckle.

It was past midnight when they decided that they were done with the tea. Although they had already drank all the tea and hadn't touched their cups for at least an hour, they decided that it was time to go up to bed. Sakura grabbed her bag that was by the door while Sasuke grabbed the two boxes and headed up the stairs together.

Sasuke dropped the boxes off and then wished her a goodnight. She returned the gesture and the boy disappeared into his own room. She stopped into the bathroom and washed her face and brushed her teeth. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and changed into a light blue tank top and light green short shorts. She paused at the bathroom door for a moment, tugging at the mid-drift baring tank top. She was very thankful that her room was the closest to the bathroom.

She drifted to her room and adjusted the sheets on the bed before turning down the lights and climbing into the bed. The bed was comfy, she was surprised to find. She drifted to sleep easily, only to be awoken hours later by someone screaming.

She bolted upright in the bed and looked around the dark room. The screaming continued and Sakura quickly jumped out of bed and flung the door open. The hallway was dimly lit, nightlights plugged into the wall outlets that lined the entire hall. With the light, the pinkette could see Sasuke streak into Seto's room and the light flicker on. Moments later, the screaming faded.

Sakura went and stood in the doorway. Sasuke was sitting on the edge of the bed, shirtless and in his underwear, while holding little Seto in his arms. Seto was crying, his face contorted in a truly pathetic expression of sadness. His little arms clung to Sasuke as if he was his only lifeline.

"I . . . . Mommy . . . . . she . . . . will . . . . nightlight," was the only words that Sakura could pick out from the child's mutterings.

Sasuke slowly rocked the boy back and forth before pulling the child's into his arms and pacing around the room. He glanced at her over at her and paused, his eyes trailing down her body momentarily. Sakura blushed and pulled at her tank top, trying to cover the exposed skin. Sasuke looked up to meet her gaze and then down at Seto in his arms.

He glanced up after a moment and mouthed the words 'nightmare, you can go back to bed.' Sakura nodded and mouthed 'goodnight' to him. He nodded, and it seemed like a sort of 'you too' gesture.

Sakura walked back to the bedroom, not wanting to invade on a personal moment between the two. She climbed back into bed and tried to go back to sleep. She laid there for a few hours before she sat up with a huff. She grabbed her robe from her bag and quietly crept out of her room, intent on going down to the kitchen.

She paused at the base of the stairs when she noticed a small light coming out of Sasuke's room. She slowly crept over to his door, noticing his door was open. She stood in the doorway, looking around the nearly dark room. It was a lot bigger than both Seto's and her's and had a very large bed on the inside.

Sakura tried to stifle a laugh when she noticed that the Sasuke Uchiha, had a nightlight in his room. She blinked and really examined him. He was laying on his side, his face so peaceful in his sleep. Tucked underneath his arm in a protective manner was Seto, his little fingers gripping the sheets tightly.

It was a nice sight and Sakura couldn't help but stand there and admire it for awhile. It was amazing to her, and she couldn't seem to wrap her mind around the picture. To her, the name Sasuke was always associated with the raven haired pre-teen with a permanent scowl plastered onto his face. But now, she was stared at him, older and more mature looking. He looked like a caring father. She still couldn't believe her eyes.

A yawn crept up on her and she frowned. She quietly dragged her feet back into her room and crawled in bed. She drifted back into a peaceful much easier than she suspected.

- X -

Her eyes slowly fluttered open when she heard noises coming from the somewhere in the house. She sat up lazily and stared at the empty room in a tired manner. She climbed out of bed lazily, but remembered where she was and quickly woke up. She tugged on her robe and crept out into the hallway.

When she got to the stairs, she glanced into Sasuke's open room and saw that it was empty. She glanced into Seto's room and noticed it was also empty. She slowly made her way down the stairs and followed the noises to the source: the kitchen.

She poked her head in into the kitchen and saw the two Uchihas. She saw Sasuke at the stove, his bare back to her. He was dressed in a pair of sweats and nothing else, revealing a number of ugly and painful looking scars on his arms and torso. Sakura couldn't help but blush at the sight of the toned muscles on his back and arms.

Seto was sitting on the counter next to him, watching as the teen prepared the food. Sakura slowly entered and Sasuke must have sensed her presence because he glanced over his shoulder at her. He paused and offered an awkward smirk to her that seemed like a sort of welcoming gesture.

He noticed her blush and raised an eyebrow and then shrugged it off. He turned back to the food and stirred something. "Breakfast is almost ready," he announced.

She nodded and then sat down at the table. She watched as Seto tugged on Sasuke's arm and wiggled in his position on the counter. Sasuke wordlessly pulled Seto into his arms and then lowered him onto the ground, where the boy quickly went over to the fridge and struggled to open it. Sasuke was grabbing the plates and transferring the food from the stove onto said plates. He paused in the middle of this and crossed the large kitchen to open the fridge for Seto and then returned to the food.

Seto pulled out a bag of cherry tomatoes with a struggle and then joined her that the table, struggling to climb onto the chair. Sasuke was right behind him and once he set down the plates in his hands, he lifted the boy into the chair and then was across the room again before grabbing more food and returning.

"Don't eat all of those. Save your appetite for breakfast," he commanded before taking the cherry tomatoes out of his hand.

"Daddy," the boy complained.

"No," Sasuke warned and Seto pouted, begrudgingly picking up his fork and taking a bite out of his pre-cut food.

Sasuke put the tomatoes away and then paused, glancing down at his bare chest. Sakura looked up, waiting for him to sit down. With him facing her now, with nothing blocking her view, she took in the sight. He was very muscled and chiseled, but at the same time lean. He had a perfect six-pack and v-cut. His body was tattered and scared, but for some reason, she could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest and she felt the urge to run her hands down his entire torso. His sweats were positioned dangerously low on his hips, and Sakura's heart rate sped as her eyes trailed lower and lower, examining the exposed skin.

She stopped, staring at the left side of his hip. She saw a dark black mark, not hard to miss on his pale skin. Having worked at the hospital for awhile now and, as a result from this, seeing a variety of people walking through the doors, she recognized the mark easily. It was a tattoo. She wasn't able to see what it was, most of it was hidden under the waistband of his sweats, but she was able to see that it was some sort of kanji.

Sasuke rubbed his stomach absentmindedly, drawing her attention. Her eyes moved with his hand, following it for a moment before she took in the whole picture. He was staring at his feet.

"I guess I'm not used to living with a girl. It's going to take some getting used to," he muttered and she found it surprisingly hard to concentrate on what he was saying while he was rubbing his perfect abs. He glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow at her flushed face and distracted expression. He cleared his throat and she snapped awake, blushing deeper in embarrassment. He didn't comment on it. "I'm just going to get a shirt," he said before disappearing.

Sakura stared at the empty doorway, working to slow her beating heart. She couldn't help but scold herself. With a mental sigh, she realized that she wasn't used to living with a _very _sexy boy. It was going to take some getting used to for all the them.

When she figured she was in better control of herself, she looked to Seto. He was so small, but was currently sitting in a kiddy chair so he his small form was not hidden from her view by the table. He was staring at her and she offered a small smile, nervous. He looked away quickly, his lip quivering and her eyes went wide in response, afraid she had done something wrong.

Sasuke reentered the room then donning a new shirt and Seto, seeing his father, burst into tears. Sakura jumped and reached out to help him but stopped short, not wanting to upset him more. She looked to Sasuke, to see how he was going to handle this.

A mildly concerned expression crossed his face and he gently went to the boy's side. The boy lifted his arms towards the teen, tears streaking down his face, and Sasuke gently pulled the boy in to his arms, quietly calming him. He paced the length of the kitchen and it seemed to calm the boy a little. "What's wrong, Buddy?" Sasuke asked but got no answer.

Sakura blinked and brought her hand up to his lips for a moment. "I'm sorry," she said quickly, drawing Sasuke's attention. "I didn't mean to upset him. I just smiled at him. I didn't think . . . ." she trailed off, a worried expression on her face.

Sasuke was still for a moment before waving her off. "It's fine. This isn't the first time this has happened," he said and then gently stroked the boy's back, staring down at him. "He's just really shy," he explained lightly.

Sasuke's words sort of calmed her but she still felt bad for upsetting him. She stared down at her food. "I'm sorry," she whispered again.

"Don't worry about it," Sasuke assured before moving over to the table. He gently placed Seto back into his seat, but pulled his chair close to his side before sitting down himself. Sakura was still for a moment, watching as Sasuke added some condiments to his food. He looked up and she blushed and picked up her fork, silently taking a bite.

It was good, she noted. It was odd, but she never thought Sasuke as the kind of man to be able to cook. Sure, he wasn't some gourmet chief, but his cooking was really good. She couldn't help but wonder where he learned. He didn't seem like the kind of person to watch the Food Network on TV, but hell, there is a lot she doesn't know about him. Or maybe someone taught him, like a friend or family member. Or, Sakura noted, he could have just taught himself. He's a very independent person. He could have done it.

Breakfast was a mostly quiet affair. Sasuke stood up to collect the plates and Sakura stood to help him. They carried the plates to the sink and set them down and then Sakura smiled awkwardly to the dark haired teen. "I was thinking about finishing my packing. If I leave now, I can probably finish by, maybe about, three. I could ask Naruto to help us move the boxes, too."

Sasuke nodded and turned on the faucet, beginning to do the dishes. "Yeah, I can probably finish cleaning out your room by then. I'll be by your house by three to help," he said and then paused and looked at her. "You still live in the same house as before?"

Sakura let out a laugh. "Yeah."

He nodded. "Well, okay. We have a plan."

She smiled and then explained that she was going to go get dressed and then be leaving. He nodded and she excused herself. She dressed quickly and then headed out the door. Pulling her coat close to her body to fight the cool air, she walked to Naruto's apartment, which thankfully was on the way to her house. She knocked on the door and waited for him to answer.

He opened it after a moment and his bright smile spread across his face. He let her in and Sakura entered, glad to be out of the cold, but stood by the door, not wanting to go any farther into the mess he called a home.

"Have a seat," Naruto offered, gesturing to his garbage covered couch. Sakura grimaced but then quickly put on a polite smile. "No thanks, I'm not staying long."

Naruto shrugged. "You know, I was just about to stop by your place and see if you wanted to get some ramen with me. My treat," he said with a smile and then rubbed his head sheepishly. "Well, actually, we can talk about who pays when we get there."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the offer, but I have to pack," she said, looking down at her feet and kicking a empty carton of ramen away from her foot.

Naruto stared at her in confusion. "Pack? Where are you going?"

Sakura hesitated for a moment. She loved the blonde to death and he was both her and Sasuke's best friend, even if the dark haired teen would never admit it out loud. But the blonde also has a track record for spreading gossip around the village. And right now, the last thing Sakura needed was rumors about her and Sasuke floating around the village.

"Um, Sakura, are you ever going to answer me. You can tell me anything," he whispered. He smiled. "Look, I'm even whispering now. If you don't want anyone to know, then I won't say a thing. Mom's the word," he said.

Sakura rolled her eyes and laughed. "The saying is _mum's_ the word, not mom," she corrected.

It was Naruto's turn to roll his eyes. "Same thing. I mean, they are both ways to say mother."

Sakura shook her head. "No, mum doesn't refer to mother. It refers to the sound 'mmmm'. You know, the humming sound you make when you with a closed mouth."

Naruto stared at her, tilting his head like a dog would do. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. Shakespeare used it in _Henry VI, Part 2_."

Naruto rubbed his blonde, unruly hair. "All this time and I have been saying it wrong," he muttered and then shrugged. "So, are you going to tell me?"

Sakura chewed on her lip. "Yeah, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. And if you do, I will not hesitate to hit you so hard that-" she started but Naruto interrupted her.

"Okay, I get it. You will most likely kill me. I'm not a fan of dying, so I won't tell. Now, please, just tell me. I'm dying here."

Sakura nodded. "Okay, but remember your promise. Now, this may come as a shock to you but Sasuke is back and is living in the Uchiha Compound. Now-" she started but was interrupted again.

Naruto jumped off the couch that he was previously seated on and was at her side in a moment. Thankfully, she blocked his path out the door so he wasn't able to run off before she told him everything. "WHAT! HE'S BACK! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! MOVE! I HAVE TO GO SEE HIM!" he shouted and Sakura smacked him on the head. He yelped, but she ignored it and then pushed him back onto the couch.

"Listen, I am going to say this once and only once. If you interrupt me again, I won't tell you and then you will miss something very important that you need to hear about. Is that clear?" she demanded, her hands on his hips and leaning over him in a menacing manner.

"Yeah, I got it," he whispered, clearly knowing that she won't stop at just not telling him. She'll probably also beat the crap out of him.

Sakura nodded and then stood up straighter, smoothing out her coat calmly. "Okay, as I was saying before I was interrupted. Sasuke is living back at the Uchiha Compound and I was instructed, by Tsunade, to move in with him for awhile. It's my job to watch over him, because he isn't trusted by the village, and make sure he doesn't try anything funny, which I doubt he will. Also, I will be helping Sasuke with Seto. So-" she said before Naruto timidly spoke up.

"Um, Sakura," he said in a meek whisper. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I have no clue who Seto is?"

Sakura blushed at her stupidity, wondering how she could forget to communicate that vital bit of information. Sakura knew that the only reason Sasuke was even back was because of the little boy. How could she forget that?

Sakura blushed and stammered. "Oh, yeah, about that. Yeah. Um, how can I put this? Um, well, I guess I should just tell you. I mean, no sugar coating the truth," she said, though she knew that she was sort of lying. She had promised Tsunade that she wouldn't tell anyone that Seto was Itachi's kid. She had no right to decide that Naruto got to know the truth, it's Sasuke's decision. But now she couldn't just go ask him, so she was going have to lie to the blonde.

She squared here shoulders. "Seto is a little boy, almost three years old. He's Sasuke's son and Sasuke has returned in order to make sure that his son grows up in a better environment instead of with a bunch of Sound criminals," she said.

Silence greeted her and Naruto stared at her like she was on crack. He smiled, seeming to think she was joking for a moment, but the smile faded when he saw how serious she was. His mouth fell open and his eyes widened drastically. "WHAT!" he choked out after a moment.

Sakura didn't stay much longer than that. The rest of her visit was her trying to convince him not to bug Sasuke. Sasuke was busy, she told him, and he didn't need him pestering him and getting in his way. He had a lot to do around the house to make it livable, and Naruto protested that he wouldn't bug him, but Sakura wouldn't have it.

In the end, she got him to promise to leave Sasuke alone only after she mentioned that he could see him at three. She told him that he was going to help her move her stuff into his house and if he helped, he could see him. The blonde readily agreed and Sakura couldn't help but smile, having thought that she was going to have to promise him a lot of ramen to get him to help.

She then went home and finished packing. She only pecked what was absolutely necessary at first and then moved on to the small things that would help her feel like she was at home there. She finished quickly, and was surprised that her now old room still looked intact. It was emptier than it has ever been, but it still looked like she lived there.

She had finished a little earlier than she expected and was about to send a messenger slug to tell Sasuke this when there was a knock on the door. She rushed down the stairs and opened the door, seeing Sasuke and Seto. Sasuke held Seto in his arms, who was toying with the spikes in the back of the teen's head. Sakura smiled at the sight, seeing the adoring look in Seto's eyes as he marveled at his father's hair.

Sakura quickly invited them in with a smile. "You're here early," she commented as she closed the door behind them. Sasuke quickly took both of their shoes off and fully entered the house.

Sasuke nodded, standing awkwardly in the foyer. She gestured for the kitchen and he followed her in. She went to the fridge while Sasuke set the little boy down and then took in the sight of the house. It was pretty plain looking, nothing grand but had a homey feel to the place. He had never been in before, but he had walked her home more than once in the past. Looking around now, he could almost picture her as a little girl, growing up in this house.

"Yeah, I finished early and I figured you might need some help packing," he explained, still looking around.

Sakura smiled. "Well, that was thoughtful. I actually just finished packing when you arrived. All the boxes are upstairs. If you wouldn't mind, it would be helpful if you could help me move them downstairs."

Sasuke nodded and pulled Seto back into his arms, as the boy was reaching up towards the teen. Sakura smiled at it, noticing that the little boy liked for his dad to carry him. Sakura led them upstairs, quietly noticing that Sasuke examined every inch of the house that he was able to see. She gestured towards her old room and he entered first, walking over towards the bed and looking around the room.

She let him examine it, seeing as there was nothing embarrassing in view. She noticed that he stared particularly hard at her wall of photos. She had started it when she was fourteen, just a collection of favorite pictures of friends and family. There was a lot of Ino, Naruto, Hinata, Tenten, and Tsunade. Towards the bottom of all the pictures of one of team seven. It was the only one with Sasuke in it. He stared at that one for a long time. That one and a picture of the new team seven, with Sai. He seemed to fixate on those two.

Sakura stared at his blank face, wishing she could understand what he was thinking. She wanted to ask him but she held her tongue. Instead, she watched, trying to decipher the mystery of Sasuke Uchiha.

Seto reached out and touched the picture of the old team seven. He pointed to Sasuke. "Look Daddy!" he exclaimed and looked up at his father expectantly. Sasuke put on a fake smile, his face arranged into a careful smile while his eyes remained dark. Sakura studied him, seeing that his first large smile she seen in a very long time was a fake one for the sake of his son.

"Yup, that's Daddy when he was younger," he said before giving him a kiss on the head. He examined the picture for a moment more before turning away. He kissed Seto's forehead and then set him down on the bed.

"Stay here while Daddy and Sakura work," he told the boy and the boy pouted, obviously wanting for his dad to pick him up again.

Sasuke grabbed a box and Sakura grabbed another before they moved it down the stairs. They repeated the process several times before Seto got antsy. Sasuke lifted the boy with one arm and tucked one of the lighter boxes under his arm, carrying both down the stairs. He set the box down in the living room and then set Seto down, gently nudging him towards the kitchen.

The boy went willingly and Sasuke warned the boy not to get into anything. Sakura smiled and watched as Sasuke disappeared back upstairs to grab the last box. She was about to follow him when a loud, impatient knock sounded on the door.

She was greeted with Naruto's impatient face and Hinata. Sakura scowled, seeing that Naruto was trying peer around her. She scolded him for telling Hinata when he promised that he wouldn't tell a soul. She trusted Hinata, but it was the principle of the thing, that he broke his promise. Hinata laughed as she scolded the blonde and the blonde begging to be forgiven so that the pinkette would let him inside.

Sakura finally allowed him in and he quickly took off his shoes and looked around. After a moment, he let out a frustrated yell. "Teme is not even here yet!"

Sakura was about to protest but Naruto suddenly whirled around and looked at her intensely. "This is crazy! I can't wrap my mind around it! Sasuke with a kid! Can you imagine!"

Sakura smiled and nodded, looking at Hinata would seemed to be in a similar mindset as Naruto. Sakura would admit, even she was still shaky on the subject. It sort of felt like she was going to wake up any moment now and realize it was all a dream.

"How old is the kid, again?" Naruto asked.

"He'll be three in December," she said, remembering that Sasuke had mentioned it the night before while they talked.

Naruto was silent for a moment, counting on his fingers. After a moment, his eyes widened drastically. "Man! He was fifteen when he had him! And you also have to factor in the nine months so he was, like what, only fourteen and having sex! I just turned eighteen and I haven't even had sex yet! Teme is a whore!"

Sakura would have laughed at the last part if she hadn't notice Sasuke coming down the stairs. She saw the slightly annoyed expression on his face and she had no doubt that he heard Naruto's little rant. And with Naruto constantly yelling, she doubted that he could have ever missed it. She just hoped Naruto wasn't loud enough that her neighbors heard like they have been known to do before.

Sasuke set down the box and gave Naruto a harsh look, though the blonde didn't notice for he had his back to him. Naruto continued on his rant without knowing that Sasuke was behind him. "And who would have thought that Teme would be the first out of the Konoha 12 to have a kid! Sasuke, the emotionless bastard, to actually find a girl he liked. I mean, Sasuke-" he started before Sasuke interrupted him.

"Dobe, who said I had to care about the girl at all. Love isn't always in the same company as lust."

Naruto jumped and whipped around to face the dark haired teen. There was a moments pause and then Naruto charged him. Sasuke quickly got in a defensive stance and prepared for the blow to come but it never did. Instead, he was tackled in a huge hug. They hit the ground with a large thump and nearly landed on one of the boxes. Instead, Sasuke twisted his body to avoid it, but it caused him to land painfully and awkwardly.

"TEME, YOU'RE BACK! I'M SO GOING TO BEAT YOUR DUMBASS FOR LEAVING!" the blonde shouted. Sasuke winced because Naruto's mouth was right next to his ear. Sakura couldn't help but feel bad for him. Naruto's yelling hurt her ears and she was across the room from him. She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to have Naruto yelling in her ear like that.

"Stop yelling in my ear!" Sasuke shouted and struggled against Naruto's hold. "Get off of me!"

"Oh yeah," Naruto muttered and tried to get up when he was distracted by something out of the corner of his eye. He froze, peering into the kitchen where he could see a little boy staring back at him. He didn't really get a good view of him and he tried to crawl forward so he could, but failed. But, in his sudden distraction, he forgot that Sasuke was underneath him and ended up putting his pushing his hand down on Sasuke's face.

Sasuke quickly moved and knocked the blonde out of balance. Naruto collapsed gracelessly on top of the dark haired teen again and accidentally elbowed him in the stomach.

A low and pain filled grunt escaped the Uchiha's lips and he quickly smacked Naruto in the head, trying to get him off. Naruto yelped and cursed at him, trying to get his bearings. A long argument ensured from that point.

The two girls watched them from across the room. Even though they almost smashed her box, she couldn't help but smile. Watching them fight and argue, it reminded her of old times. It was nice and she didn't realize how much she had missed it until now.

Hinata leaned over, concerned marring her face. "Should we break them up?"

Sakura waved her hand dismissively. "Nah. It's fine. They were always like this," she said, remembering the good old days.

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**Hope you enjoyed. New chapters and edited chapters will be up soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

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EDIT: The fourth chapter, edited. Just added some stuff and made a few tweeks.

**Thanks to all reviewers. **

**Enjoy the edited-ness.**

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Sakura couldn't help but giggle as she watched her two teammates wrestle and argue on the ground. The two teens were currently yelling at one another, hitting the other every chance they got, and cursing loudly, forgetting that there was a little boy present. There was some minor name calling as well, like when Naruto called Sasuke gay. The funny part of this, Sakura noted, was that Naruto was the one on top of the other teen. If another person came in and witnessed the scene, they would have thought that the kettle was calling the pot black.

Naruto was currently laying across Sasuke's chest and had somehow gotten his elbow to dig into the dark haired teen's stomach. Sasuke, on the other hand, had palm pushing flat against Naruto's neck and chin, pushing his head away from him. Sasuke considered pushing his hand against the blonde's throat, but decided that would be too mean for just wrestling and would save it for later if he needed it.

The two continued to struggle and to swear at one another. Sasuke, having run out of things to say, switched effortlessly to another language to swear at him in. Naruto was shocked to say the least. One moment he was listening to Sasuke wide, and lewd vocabulary and wondering where he learned all of it, when he suddenly switched to another language.

And from that language, came another, and another. Sasuke was soon cursing in several different languages, switching effortlessly between each in such a way that Naruto had no hope to understand. Sakura and Hinata, listened as well, blushing as they were able to understand bits and pieces of his rant. Naruto took note of this and he knew what the teen was saying to him was not good. But what really got to him was that he wasn't able to understand it and try to retort to it. The blonde made a mental note to learn another language.

Sasuke let out another hateful string of words and Naruto grimaced. "Aw, Fuck Teme! Was that Russian?"

Sasuke spat something in return, but Naruto couldn't understand it. But judging from the tone, it wasn't good. Just as he was about to retort, a loud cry filled the room and Sasuke's struggles died instantly.

Naruto turned to the source of the noise and saw a little cry standing in the kitchen doorway, sobbing frantically. He glanced at the girls to see the shocked and concerned expressions on their faces, and then turned back to the boy. The boy was looking straight at him and when their eyes met, he started to cry harder.

Seto had been in the kitchen when he had heard noises followed by yelling. Having grown up in the Sound for as long as he could remember, he knew to keep hidden. But curiosity got the better of him and he crept up to the doorway and peeked into the room. What he saw was a strange man on top of his Daddy, fighting and hitting him. Panic engulfed him and he started crying and screaming, wishing that his Dad would be okay.

Sasuke saw Seto crying in the doorway and, after a moment's shock, knew he had to get over there to him. The only problem was Naruto. Without thinking too much about it, he shifted his hand and pushing his hand into the blonde's throat. He gagged and Sasuke used the opportunity to push him off of him. Naruto coughed again and fell in a graceless heap a few feet way, having hit the wall. Sasuke was up in an instant and at his son's side.

Sasuke lifted the boy into his arms and Seto wrapped his arms tightly around his neck. Sasuke tried to calm him, and realizing that Seto was upset because of what he witnesses, quickly started assuring him that he was fine and only goofing around. Sasuke sighed mentally, knowing that living in Konoha was going to be a huge adjustment to them. Here, they didn't always need to watch their backs like in Oto.

Sasuke glanced over at Naruto to see if he was okay. He had used a little more forced than he had planned. Naruto was still laying in a heap, but Hinata was at his side now, asking if he was okay. Naruto stared at her dimly before shaking his head and grinning at her. "Yeah, I'm fine. It'll take more than that to take me out," he assured.

Sakura slowly made her way over to the two Uchiha's. She gently put a hand on Seto's back. With his back to her, he didn't notice that it was her touching him and didn't flinch away. Instead, he felt sort of comforted by it.

"Is he okay?" she asked Sasuke gently, whispering.

Sasuke nodded, looking down at the child buried in his chest. "He's not used to Konoha. It's going to take some time for him to realize that not everyone here is out to get him."

Sakura nodded, but couldn't imagine what it must have been like in the Sound. For a two year old to react like this, and be trained to think that someone is always right behind him, it must have been bad. She had no doubt that Sasuke was always there to protect him, but she still couldn't imagine.

Naruto made his way over and eyed the child. He was hiding his face in Sasuke's chest, and trying to make himself as small as possible in his father's arms. Naruto was impatient to get a good look at him, but knew he shouldn't push it right now. Instead he looked at Sasuke and Seto as a whole.

"Teme, I have to say, it still amazes me that you're a dad. I never thought you would be the first. And, man, you even look like a dad . . ." he trailed off, taking a step back to look at the whole picture, a dazed expression on his face.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I look like a dad? What's that supposed to mean? Am I wearing those ugly dad jeans or something?" he said jokingly.

Naruto blinked, sort of amazed that he was even joking with him in the first place. It wasn't a Sasuke type of thing to do. He quickly recover. "All I meant is that you look like all those young dads you see on TV. You know, all those guys in those commercials and TV shows. What I'm trying to say is that you look all mature and stuff. Like a real father and not some teen brat."

Sasuke blinked and shifted Seto in his arms. "Well, that's nice to know, I guess," he muttered and Naruto glared at him.

"I'm trying to compliment you," he snapped.

"Okay. Sure," he teased.

Sakura eyed the dark-haired teen. He had opened up, she noticed. Having a son had made him lower some of his barriers. If she remembered correctly, he used to act like this when he was younger. Sure, he was more polite and usually didn't involve mocking people, but he was kinder, and more open. It was like he was finally showing his inner self, the part of him that he had locked away when his family had died.

Sakura ran her eyes down the length of his body. It made her wonder what living with him will be like, and what new things she will learn about him.

The whole moving process went well. There was only one minor hitch, and that was that Seto was extra clingy and was constantly wanting Sasuke to hold him. In the end, Sasuke ended up balancing two of the smaller and lighter boxes in one hand and holding Seto's hand with the other. But other than that one minor inconvenience, they were able to move the few boxes Sakura had packed over to the Uchiha Manor.

Afterward, the four friends and the little boy went down to the market. They wandered for a few moments before finding a good furniture store. The entire house needed new furniture. While he loved his aunt and uncle, Sasuke couldn't stand their taste. He liked things to be more simple while his aunt prefer things to have a more eclectic feel to it.

The store clerk gave them no trouble. He knew Sasuke from way back and, although he didn't approve of his more recent decisions, he was still quite fond of him, seeing him still as the little boy he was. In fact, it was the same guy that helped Sasuke buy his new furniture for his apartment after the massacre and even helped him move it all in, seeing as he was only a small boy then.

He was an older gentlemen, with wrinkled skin, a gray balding head, a pair of large glasses, and a small frame. When he spotted Sasuke, his sea foam green eyes sparkled and a large smile spread across his face. "Sasuke, my boy," he called happily. Sasuke put Seto down next to Sakura and went to greet the old man. Surprising everyone, Sasuke bent over and hugged the man.

"It good to see you, Naoto," Sasuke greeted back and then stood back up to his natural height. Naoto tilted his head back to stare up at him.

"Man, you have grown. You used to be so much smaller than me. But look at you now, what are you, six foot?"

Sasuke smirked. "I was six foot one last time I checked."

The old man shook his head, chuckling softly to himself. "Tall like your father. He was a tall fellow too. He was only a teen when he grew taller than me. You remind me so much of him," he said, releasing a big sigh. "And your mother, oh, your mother. She was a small thing compared to your father. He was as tall as you are while your mother was only five foot five. Oh, but she was so beautiful. I see a lot of her in your face, though you seem to be looking more like your father as you grow. And grown you have," he exclaimed while Sasuke smirked softly, a sad light in his eyes. Sakura watched him carefully, taking in the expression and committing it to memory.

Naoto removed his glasses to wipe his misty eyes before placing them back on his face. "Oh, but you probably didn't come here to reminisce. What can I do for you?"

Sasuke smirked. "I need new furniture for new house. It was my aunt and uncle's old home and their taste in furniture is vastly different from my own." Seto walked over and tugged on Sasuke's pants. The dark haired teen looked down and lifted the small boy into his arms.

Naoto eyed him and Sasuke smiled softly. "Naoto, this is my son, Seto. Seto, this is Daddy's very old friend. He was best friends with great grandfather."

"Well, hello, little guy. Boy, you look just like your uncle," he exclaimed and Sakura's heart sped. She eyed the old man, wondering how he was able to see the differences between the two brothers and Seto so easily. It had taken her a long moment to see it and that was only with the knowledge that Seto was Itachi's kid in her head. If she hadn't known, he would have thought that Seto looks just like Sasuke instead of Itachi.

Sasuke laughed and nodded. "Yeah, he does, doesn't he?" he asked and then glanced back at Sakura, giving her a knowing look. She smiled back, feeling like she was sharing an inside joke with him. And in a way, she was.

Seto hide his face in Sasuke chest and Naoto laughed. "He's a shy one, like you were. It took a long time for you warm up to me as a young child," he said laughed and then smiled at the other three standing behind them. "I'm Naoto."

Sakura smiled kindly and offered her hand. "I'm Sakura and this is Naruto and Hinata. We are Sasuke's friends."

Naoto smiled at her and said his hellos to each before really examining her. Sakura blinked while his eyes traveled down the length of her body once before scrutinizing her face. He nudged Sasuke gently. "She is a very pretty one and I have a good feeling about her. Maybe you two should become more than just friends."

Sakura blushed deeply and looked to Sasuke, who rolled his eyes. "You think I should be with every pretty girl you see." Inner Sakura couldn't help but notice that Sasuke had sort of indirectly called her pretty.

"Yeah, but I really like this one," he said with a smile before flashing her an knowing smile and then turning and gesturing for them to follow. "Come, I'll show you the living room sets and we will work our way around from there."

For an old man, he was energetic and moved quickly. He showed them many living room sets and Naruto jumped on each, telling them all if it was comfy or not. In the end, Sasuke narrowed it down to two sets and, with Sakura's advise which he trusted more than Naruto's, he chose one. It was large couch, a loveseat sofa, an armchair and ottoman. It was all a plush beige color and also included a dark brown coffee table, and two smaller tables with matching lamps.

From there they went to the kitchen. The only they needed here was a new table and chairs. The old one was nice so they wanted something similar, but had a younger feel to it instead of the massive, grandmother table they had now. They found a nice plain dark brown one, that could lengthen by adding leafs to it, and matched the living room set perfectly. They also found a few matching stools for the island.

From there, they went to the office area. Both Sasuke and Sakura liked books and there was already a good collection at the house, so they bought to large book shelves that would stretch to almost the entire length of the walls. And instead of buying a more modern desk, Sasuke decided on a larger, oak desk. It was the one that Sakura liked best.

And it surprised her how much Sasuke was taking her advise. He only bought furniture that they both liked and she felt like she was going to feel much more at home there now after getting all the furniture that she liked and could see herself using.

After the office set, they moved over to the bedroom sets. They picked out a set for Seto. He wanted a bunk bed and then proceed to throw a fit until he got it. Sasuke gave in and allowed him to have a nice, expensive set. The beds was one big large, white piece of furniture. The beds were not directly on top of one another, instead the bottom bed stuck out farther than the top. Next to the bottom bed was a wall of cubby holes where you could store your belongings. And instead of the top bunk having a ladder, it had a staircase that connected to the top bed. This small staircase was a storage area too, each step being a drawer. The beds also a included matching white dresser and a nightstand.

When Seto was happy, they moved on to looking for a remaining furniture sets. Sakura browsed through the rows of bedroom sets. She finally spotted a nice one that she liked. It was a full sized bed that was low to the ground and a sandy brown color. The head board and foot board were both low and had a nice little low nightstand next to it with two drawers. The dresser part was more of a large closet. It had four long doors, the center two containing full length mirrors, that opened up to shelves and little drawers. She liked it, but thought that it was too much. She was about to move on when Sasuke came up to her.

"You like this one?"

She shook her head but he could see through her. She looked away sheepishly. He eyed the price tag and she bit her lip. He shrugged. "Hey, Naoto, we'll take this set too," he called.

Sakura's jaw dropped and she rushed to his side. "No, it's too much. Just get me a plain bed and dresser. I don't need all of this! It's too expensive."

He raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry about it. It's really not that much."

She stared at him disbelievingly. "You're kidding, right? I've been saving all my money I get at the hospital and I still don't have enough."

He smirked. "Yeah, well, I have the entire Uchiha fortune. When my clan died, the bank account of every single person with the name Uchiha went to mine. I've donated a lot back to the village but the third Hokage would only let me give away fifteen percent of it. He said I should wait until I was older and have a family before I decide to give away more. I was only a kid then," he said and then turned to Naoto. "We'll take this set."

Naruto blinked at him. "Well, since you're on a roll, I could use a new bedroom and living room set."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, I'll get right on that," he replied sarcastically.

Naruto groaned. "Oh, come one, Teme! Don't be stingy."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and continued browsing through the store. He picked two more plain bedroom sets for the guest bedrooms and then was browsing for the master suit. He stopped at one and examined it. It was very simple, but held an elegant feel to it. It was black and contemporary feeling. The bed was a king sized, and low to the ground, but not too low. The head board was a plain black and cursed slightly at the top, not going too high. There was no footboard, leaving it feeling open in a good way. There was two small nightstands on either side, containing two drawers each, in the same black color. There was a long dresser with a mirror on top of it and a tall dresser. Sasuke eyed it and then told Naoto he would take that one too.

The old man nodded and wrote it down in the notepad he had. "It that all?"

Sasuke nodded. "For now. We'll come back later if we need anything else," he informed the man and he nodded before going off to prepare the orders.

Sasuke shifted Seto in his arms, trying to give his left arm a break after holding the boy for so long. Sakura smiled at him. "Thank you for buying me that bedroom set."

"No problem. Money isn't a problem and I want to make sure you're comfortable," he mumbled, seeing to be feeling awkward still. They would need some time to get used to one another.

Naoto came back soon and told him that all the furniture would be delivered in few days. Sasuke and the old man talked for a moment about payment and then said their goodbyes. The exited the store and headed over to the next store, the linen store. Naruto smiled and waved to Naoto as they walked out. "I liked him. How exactly do you know him?"

"He was my grandfather's best friend. He grew up with him and watched my father grow up. And then he watched as my father had kids of his own and watched as we grew up. He went to everyone of my birthday parties."

Hinata smiled. "Well that's very nice. He's sort of like a link to your family, isn't he?"

Sasuke nodded and then stared straight ahead, opening the door to the linen store, not wanting to talk about family anymore. Everyone caught his mood and dropped the subject.

They wandered through the isles. It wasn't long before Sakura found a bed set that she liked. It had tea and emerald green sheets and a sort of light cream color for the comforter. Included in the set was emerald, tea green, and cream colored pillow cases and throw pillows with a thick green blanket to fold at the foot of the bed. Sasuke put it in the shopping cart.

He found Seto two matching bed sets for Seto. The sheets were a medium blue and had a light green and blue comforter and matching pillow cases. Sasuke also found a red bed set and a sort of beige and cream bed set for the two guest bedrooms.

For himself, he found one that had black sheets and a navy blue comforter. For more color, he matched the black and navy blue pillow cases with some white and gray throw pillows, per Sakura's request. He didn't really care what his bed looked like, but Sakura insisted that it would look nice and that she would help him with it.

They grabbed curtains and a few more things to match each room before going home to drop everything off. They then went to one more store, the paint store. They wandered for a while and then started picking out colors for each room.

The next few days were a whirlwind of home improvements. Naruto helped Sasuke moved all the old furniture out, laughing when he saw the old master bedroom set. The blonde couldn't help but exclaiming that it looked like grandma furniture and almost dyed laughing when he thought of Sasuke sleeping in there. Sasuke had smacked him pretty hard in order to get him to stop.

The teens painted most of the rooms. For Sasuke's room, he choose a bluish gray color and then a light gray color for his bathroom. Sakura couldn't help but be a little jealous when she entered the master suit. It was the biggest bedroom in the house and she found herself doing cartwheels in there. Also, there was a large walk-in closet that Sasuke was using for storage at the moment and it's own bathroom.

It had occurred to her that she never saw Sasuke coming out of the other bathroom and she had wondered why until she entered his room and saw he had his own. It was big, too. The back part was the bathtub that was big enough for two (She tested it out. She had Hinata had seated themselves in there while the boys moved the furniture) and was enclosed by glass so that it was a shower stall as well. It also had his and her sinks. He only used one sink.

'_Why does he have the cool bedroom?' _she asked herself. _'He doesn't have a lot of clothes right now and the walk-in closet is going to waste as it is. And then he only uses that luscious tub for showers. Not to mention the two sinks. It's was sort of unfair,'_ she mentally complained. But she knew that he got the master suit because it was his house. But she was still jealous.

For her own room, they painted it a sort of light apricot color and with her new furniture and bed set, it looked really nice. They painted the hallway a beige color, like the living room, and the bathroom a light blue. Seto's room was a paint a sky blue. One guest room was painted a light shade of gray to go with the red bed while the other was painted a warm, neutral color. Over all, the house looked completely different from when they first moved in and it felt nice. It felt like their own home instead of just a house.

The renovations didn't take long considering all that was done to the house. It took about two weeks and in that time, Sakura started to get more used to living with Sasuke. At first, it was just awkward between them but he slowly got used to her presence. Soon, he relaxed more around her and they started talking more and slowly getting closer.

Her relationship with Seto, however, had not improved much. The first few days, he hide every chance he got. Then slowly he got used to her being around to the point where he didn't hide anymore, but he never so much as uttered a word if he could help it when she was near. It worried her, because she was supposed to be helping Sasuke with Seto, but whenever she tried to touch him, he burst into tears. She didn't know what to do.

Also, during her time there, she had received several letters from her parents. She had only gotten one from her father, who was still on a mission but had heard the news and sent a letter to tell her how displeased his was by the situation. She knew her father was going to be upset, he's very protection of her. The rest of the letters were from her mother, checking in. She was worried that she was unhappy living with him, especially considering their history. But with each letter she received, Sakura sent one back, assuring her she was fine.

It was now the third week in October and all the house improvements were finished for the time being and the house was finally livable. In order to celebrate this fact, Naruto decided it was time to drag Sasuke out to party. Of course, Sasuke denied the offer but the blonde was persistent. He told the darkhaired teen that Sakura could watch Seto for the night and that he should hang out with the boys. Still the older teen said no and Naruto then proceed to literally drag the teen out the door. Sakura stood with Seto by her side, watching their retreating forms.

She stared at the door for longer than need before turning to look at Seto. He slowly looked up at her and she forced a smile, afraid that she was going to frighten him again. He stared at her blankly, but he wasn't crying or running away, so she took it as a good sign. "Come on, I'll fix dinner. I'm starving. What about you?" she asked, gesturing towards the kitchen but being careful not to touch him.

He didn't reply but his stomach growled loudly and he blushed, looking away. She smiled and started dinner. She didn't make anything elaborate, but it was good. Seto sat at the table the entire time she cooked and to fill the silence, she turned on the radio and danced gently to the music. Seto didn't say anything, but she heard a giggle from behind her as she danced so she guessed he found her amusing.

Sakura gathered the plates in her hands, and stared down at the bowl of noodles. She eyed Seto and then asked if he could carry the bowl over to the table. He nodded and made his way over, and she gently handed it to him. She walked ahead of him and set the plates down onto the table. She turned to grab the bowl and then mentally smacked herself.

It was a nice idea in theory to have him help her. It saved her a trip and she didn't have to worry about juggling plates. But what she didn't factor into the theory was that he was a small boy and it was a heavy bowl, especially when it was full like it was.

Just as she realized this, the bowl slipped from Seto's small grip and started falling to the ground. In that moment, she didn't care about the stupid noodles. All she cared about was that the heavy bowl was about to fall on his little toes. Acting on instinct, she run and kicked the bowl up into the air, saving his little toes. He stared at her in wonder.

And then the noodles fell.

One moment, they were staring at one another, the next they were covered in noodles, frozen in shock. Sakura blinked and then shook a big clump of noodles off her hand. Unfortunately, it went straight down onto Seto's face. Seto let out a yelp and then froze, staring at her in disbelief.

They were both still for a long moment before Seto plucked a handful of noodles off his face and back at Sakura. Some hit her in the face but most hit his throat and then slid into her shirt. She gasped as the cold noodles slid into her bra and she squirmed.

She looked at Seto and narrowed her eyes. She knew he never meant to get it in her shirt but she still had to make him. She scooped a handful of noodles off the ground and threw it back at him, laughing as he yelped and stared at her in disbelief. But her laughing at him made him pick up his own handful and throw it at her. From the moment it hit her, it was a full on food fight.

They grabbed any food in sight. The noodles, the food on the plates, and off the counter. They found themselves laughing and having fun, enjoying the feeling of being able to let loose and make a mess. And Sakura knew by the look on his smiling face that they were forming a bond. But in that moment, the bond didn't matter. All that mattered was that they were having fun.

When they got tired, they sat on the kitchen floor. Sakura grabbed two cartoons of ice cream and two spoons and they dug in, laughing and chatting about nonsense. They ate their fill of their 'dinner'.

After they finished eating, Seto grew silent and looked around at the mess. Sakura blinked and gently but her hand on his knee. He looked up at her with worried eyes. "Daddy be mad?" he asked in his cute child-like voice and his stuttering.

She looked around at the chaos that they had caused and then at the time. It was still early, and knowing Naruto, he would be keeping Sasuke out late. "Ill tell you what, we'll get this place cleaned up, then ourselves, and then we will watch some movies. This will be our little secret. I won't tell if you don't." She whispered for dramatic effect.

A breathtaking smile spread across his face and they hopped up and began cleaning the kitchen. They cleaned quickly, but thoroughly, and disposed of any evidence. After giving Seto a quick bath and getting him into his pajamas, and wiping herself down, they sat down on the couch and watched some movies, some of Sakura's favorites when she was growing up. Seto loved them.

At the end of the night, Seto was curled up next to her in a peaceful sleep. She gently pulled him into her arms, imitating how Sasuke always carried him when he fell asleep. She carefully carried him upstairs and tucked him in. She turned on the nightlight before exiting the bedroom, closing the door behind her gently.

She went back downstairs and curled herself onto the couch. She popped in another movie and got comfy. Soon she felt sleep pulling her in. She smiled softly. Seto liked her more. It was a small accomplishment, but it felt like a big thing to her. Maybe living there wouldn't be so bad after all, she thought.

x O x

When Sasuke finally got in, it was four in the morning. He slowly and softly entered the house and removed his shoes and coat. He wasn't in the greatest of moods. Naruto had taken him to a bar where they met up with 'the guys', as Naruto kept repeating over and over again and with more vigor than the last as the night wore on and the drinks piled up. 'The guys' were him, Naruto, Shikamaru, Lee, Neji, and Kiba. The rest of the guys in the Konoha 12 were on missions, thankful because Sasuke wasn't sure if he could take anymore of them.

The evening started off well enough. After getting literally dragged there, he had actually enjoyed just hanging out with guys his own age. But with each drink, they became louder and more annoying. By the end of the night, everyone was drunk except for him and Neji. The two somber teens then decided to spilt up the drunks and take them home. Sasuke got Naruto and Shikamaru while Neji got Lee and Kiba. Sasuke was thankful for this. He wasn't sure if he could stand hearing much more of how Sakura was 'youthful'.

He dropped Shikamaru off first, having a very nice and awkward conversation with his mother while he held a very drunk and slobbering Naruto on his arm and she held a very drunk and nearly past out Shikamaru on her arm. And once that ordeal was done, he moved on to dropping Naruto off, who he had to fight with in order to get the door unlocked and then blonde into his bed. He then had to undress the blonde because the blonde threw up half way home and got vomit all over his clothes and he couldn't leave him in it. And since Sasuke was on a roll, he even started soaking the blonde's clothes for him.

But he was home now and he wanted nothing more than to go to bed. And to check on Seto. It was the first time he had really left Seto alone and he wanted to know how he fared with the pinkette.

He heard noises coming from the living room and followed it. The room was dark except for the TV that was casting a dim light over the entire room. There was some sort of kids movie on the screen and Sasuke stepped forward to turn it off. It was only then, standing in front of her, did he notice that Sakura was sleeping on the couch.

He debated about whether or not her wanted to move her up to her room or just lave her there. But he looked uncomfortable. She didn't have a blanket so her small frame was hunched in a ball, trying to keep herself warm. He felt bad and decided to take her upstairs.

He gently wedged his hands under and then with extra care not to wake her, this being difficult since she was a ninja, lifted her. A grunt slipped past his lips, though she wasn't heavy. In fact, she was very light. But he was so used to carrying a two year old and not a seventeen year old girl.

He carried her upstairs and over to her bedroom. Her door was closed so he had to quietly open it without very much use of his hands, but he succeeded. He made his way over to her new bed and laid her down, stopping for a moment to examine her. She was small, but fit. She had really grown over the years, in more ways than one.

She was only five foot five and skinny. Her arms and legs were muscled but in a delicate way. When she was younger, she was flat chested and wore tight clothes in order to show off what she didn't have. Now she was older, fuller, but her didn't wear the same clothes. Instead she usually wore clothes that were loose on her body, hiding the curses that she had developed.

He hated to admit it, but he found her truly beautiful. She skin was smooth and creamy, flawless, unlike his that was scarred and calloused. Her hair was soft and smooth, reaching just past her shoulders now, and with the most perfect shade of pink. Her eyes, oh don't get him started on her eyes.

She was beautiful, but not a in your face kind of pretty. She had her own natural beauty that no woman could compare to.

He wasn't attracted _attracted _to her, he told himself. He just found her very pleasing to look at instead of all the women he has seen in his life. She doesn't make him want to run away when he sees her. And that's a compliment. A Uchiha compliment.

He quickly halted his train of thought because he could feel his face heating up. He shook his head and pulled down the sheets, covering her up. But before he left, he raised an eyebrow and plucked what looked like a noodle out of her hair. He stared at it for a moment before deciding he didn't want to know how it got there and quickly threw it away.

He made his way over to Seto's room and checked in. The nightlight allowed him to see what was in the room perfectly. Seto was laying down in bed, fast asleep. Sasuke quietly crept in and kissed him gently on the forehead before leaving.

When he got in his room, a wave of exhaustion hit him and he stripped himself of his clothes quickly before climbing into bed. Surprisingly, he fell asleep quickly.

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**Hope you enjoyed. Look for the 5th edited chapter soon.**

**Review please.**


	5. Chapter 5

**EDIT: the fifth chapter edited. Yup. Hey, check out my new poll. I want to know if i should write a sequel to this.**

**Thanks for all the reviews.**

**Enjoy.**

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Sakura awoke the next morning when something shifted on the bed. She barely felt it in her sleeping state, but as she was a trained shinobi, when the slightest thing shifted on the bed next to her, her body responded. She kept her eyes closed, though she was awake now, listening as little shuffles of clothing and blankets were heard.

Something pushed into her stomach. It wasn't terribly heavy or meant to hurt her, but her body automatically responded with a groan. A small giggle met her ears and her eyes fluttered open to be greeted with a pair of gray eyes staring back at her. She blinked twice and tried to comprehend what she was seeing.

She briefly looked around at her surroundings. She was in her bedroom, though she had no recollection as to how she had gotten there. Last she remembered, she was on the couch watching TV. But now she found herself comfortably tucked into the sheets of her bed, still wearing the same clothes as last night.

She focused on the gray eyes. Under closer examination, she realized it was Seto. He was lying across her stomach, staring up at her cutely. His hair was a mess from sleep, random chucks sticking up that made him resemble Sasuke more than Itachi. His eyes were bright and he had a small smile on his face.

She blinked and he tugged at the blankets. She would have been confused if she had not seen him do the same thing to Sasuke. Seto was Sasuke's usual wake up call, going into his bedroom at an early hour and draping himself across the teen. The teen was a light sleeper, so this would wake him up and then Seto would tug at the blankets and Sasuke would pull the blankets back so that the boy could crawl in with him. They did it every morning.

Sakura mimicked Sasuke's usual actions and Seto crawled under the covers with her. He curled himself up at her chest, where he usual was with Sasuke. And as Sasuke always does, Sakura loosely draped her arm over his small form and drifted to sleep once more. She didn't sleep for long when movement awoke her again. He had gotten tired of sleeping and was now rolling around the bed. Sakura glanced at the clock, reading that it was twelve past six.

She slowly and reluctantly sat up and stretched. "Good morning. Is your Daddy up yet?" she asked. Usually Seto always has Sasuke up and moving by at least five.

Seto stopped rolling around and crawled up to her, resting his head on her knees. "Daddy no wake yet." He gave a big crazy smile and Sakura had to smile back.

Sakura was soon realizing that Seto had one of those personalities that pulled you in. He was shy to strangers but once he unleashes one of those smiles of his, he has you locked in his hold. She had wondered what had caused Sasuke to change and she soon found her answer. Seto was this unbelievable force that drew you in, no matter how much you tried not to.

She nodded. "You hungry?" she asked and he nodded fiercely. He was hyper in the morning. "Well then let's go get something to eat."

The two rolled out of bed. Sakura took the time to grab a robe while Seto bounced anxiously next to her. When she was dressed, the boy surprised her by reaching up to grip her hand. He held it tightly and Sakura smiled, happy to see the sudden change in attitude towards her. Hand in hand, they exited her bedroom.

When they got towards the stairs, curiosity got the better of her when she noticed Sasuke's door open. When Sasuke slept, he usually had his door closed, unless Seto had gone in and left it open. However, the teen was almost always awake before she rolled out of bed so, in truth, she had only seen him sleep once, her first night there. She couldn't resist the urge to peek in.

With Seto's hand still in hers, she leaned forward so that she was still by the stairs, but peeking in. She saw Sasuke sleeping all right, his form sprawled out over the top of the bed. His was in his underwear and nothing else with no blankets to cover his bare skin. Instead, his bed was still almost perfectly made.

He was laying on his side, his back to her. His head was on no pillow, only cushioned by his arm. His right foot was hanging off the side of the bed, but Sakura found herself staring instead at his calf. On the back of his right calf was another tattoo. This one was of two black roses, blooming and withering away along the edges of the pedals.

Seto tugged on her hand gently and she turned to see him spinning on his toes, smiling at her. She offered a smile and then gently tugged his hand back. Together, they headed down the stairs and towards the kitchen.

Not long after, Sasuke's eyes slowly fluttered open. Lights were streaming in through the open blinds, right on his face. He had forgotten to close the blinds last night, of course, and now he was paying for it. However, it did strike him as odd that he was being awoken from the sun in the first place. Usually Seto woke him up just as the light was coming over the horizon. He hadn't slept past sunrise in a long time.

He rolled over and out of the sunlight, looking around the room. Seto was nowhere to be seen, but his door was open to reveal an empty hallway. He blinked twice, before panic filled him. Seto always came to wake him up.

Sasuke jumped up with a sudden burst of energy, barely grabbed a pair of sweats before exiting his bedroom and going to Seto's when he walked through the open door, he scanned the empty room and turned away quickly. He didn't even bother to put the sweats on yet or look at Sakura's bedroom before rushing down the stairs.

He stopped at the base of the stairs and listened. There were noises coming from the kitchen so he silently crept up to the kitchen doorway. He looked in, immediately spotting Sakura and Seto at the counter. Both had their backs to him, working at something. Seto was standing on a chair with a large wooden spoon in his hand, seeming to be stirring something. Sakura stood next to him, watching and helping him stir by gently placing her hands over his. There were items scattered around the counter and the dark haired teen assumed they were ingredients.

The adrenaline drained out of him and he relaxed, knowing Seto was safe. He leaned against the doorway, watching for a long moment before entering the kitchen. He went over to the coffee maker, freeing his hand by setting the sweats down, and started a brew.

When he had entered, Sakura had looked over her shoulder and blushed. Seeing him laying in bed in his underwear was one thing, seeing him standing in his underwear in the kitchen was another. He wore them very,_ very_, low on his hips. Almost dangerously low. They weren't too baggy, but they weren't skin tight. She could see almost everything. This pale exposed, brutally scarred legs with his tattoo, his bare scarred chest, a little more of his tattoo on his hip but she couldn't make it out still. He wasn't covering much, but for some reason, she found herself wanting to see . . . _more_.

She blushed deeply and tried to push the thoughts away quickly. "G-good m-morning," she greeted. She turned her attention back to Seto, forcing herself not to look at Sasuke. The dark haired teen glanced over at her, noticing that she was bright red and refusing to look at him. "Did you sleep well?" she asked, still not looking.

Sasuke took the time to pull the sweats on while the coffee brewed. "Hn," he grunted in response, staring blankly at the dark liquid dripping into the pot. He rolled his head, stretching the muscles in his neck. His body felt better than it had in awhile. In truth, it was the first time he had really slept well in so long. Maybe almost in years.

Sakura's eyes fluttered back to the teen, seeing him now half dressed. It was sort of a relief, but his chest was still bare and his pants were still low on his hips. Inner Sakura was still freaking out while Outer Sakura was trying to distract herself. She blurted the first thing that came to mind. "You have a tattoo."

The dark haired teen blinked and glanced at her questioning. She stared at him blankly, mentally smacking herself. He nodded. "Yeah." His only problem was he didn't know which she was referring to.

She nodded stupidly. "It's nice," she blurted again. "The roses look really nice."

He nodded wordlessly. "Thanks," he paused, and then blurted something out himself. "It's not my only one."

She feigned surprise. "Oh?"

"Yeah," he muttered, looking uncomfortable. Sakura noted that he adjusted the waistband of his sweatpants, making sure that the kanji on his hip was covered. She also noted that his right foot twisted and rolled, as if he was trying to hide it from her view, trying to hide it with his long pant leg. She knew about his hip but she wondered now if he had another on his right foot.

She noticed that he didn't really want to talk about them so she let it drop and instead told him breakfast was almost ready. They sat down and had a peaceful breakfast together. But it was odd for the dark haired teen. Seto, he noticed, was clinging to Sakura. Since Seto was born, people were always coming in and out of his life. It was one of the reasons he was so shy. He never really got a chance to meet people and get to really know them. So he didn't even try to get to know them because they would just be leaving soon.

So when Seto finally realized that Sasuke wasn't going anywhere, unlike everyone else in his life before, including his mother, he clung desperately to the teen. When he got to know him, he clung so that he wouldn't leave. And now, he was clinging to Sakura. This meant, Sasuke concluded, that something must have happened last night while he was away that made Sakura earn Seto's trust.

And soon after that, Sasuke realized that the boy really was clinging to her. Two weeks passed since that morning, it now being the very beginning of November, and still Seto hardly left Sakura's side. It was sort of refreshing, in a way, to not have a two year old permanently attached to his hip. But at the same time, odd. He found himself at a loss of things to do. Usually when he wasn't busy with the numerous things that needed to be done, he was playing and hanging out with Seto. Now he just had free time and he hadn't to slightest idea as to what to do with it.

So, he found himself arguing with Ino a lot. Since Sakura had moved in, the blonde was constantly coming over. But it wasn't like she was coming over just to hang out, she was making herself completely at home.

Since Sasuke had left, Ino's childish crush had faded. She no longer lusted after him, something he was extremely grateful for since she was always over now. Instead, she had figured out that it was fun to annoy him. She went out of her way to find ways to annoy him and he, for the sake of having something to do instead of sitting and staring at a wall, fought back against her little attacks. It was all in fun, no real harm being done to either party. It was just a playful love-hate thing between sort of friends.

The down side of Ino coming over a lot; her influence in the house. She was always into something, whether it being looking through old shelves and boxes in the house, eating a good sized hole in the fridge or just trying to get under Sasuke's skin, she was making things a lot crazier in the house. And since she was best friends with Sakura and Seto was clinging to the pinkette, he was substantially in her presence. Which meant some of her antics were beginning to rub off on him. Something Sasuke wasn't too pleased about.

Sasuke was currently sitting in the living room, a book in hand. All of his daily chores were done and he had nothing to do except entertain himself. He had trained for a few hours in the backyard, showered and was now relaxing, or at least trying to. Ino, returning from the bathroom, poked her head into the living room quickly.

"Man-whore," she called.

Sasuke, not looking away from his book, drawled. "Care to explain why exactly I'm a man-whore?"

She snickered and leaned against the doorframe. "'Cause I talked to Hinata and Naruto today."

"And what of connection?" Sasuke asked, flipping the page.

She smiled and stepped into the living room. She made her way over to the ottoman in front of him. The ottoman was large, so that Seto could lay there comfortably and Sakura could do the same if she curled herself. She sat on the plush furniture and gently put her hand over the top of the book he was reading and pushed down, making him lower it and look at her. She smiled mischievously.

"Well we were talking about you of course."

He took a bored deep breath. "Is that so?" he replied sarcastically.

She nodded, ignoring the sarcasm and simply going with it. "Well, we were expressing our amazement that you of all people would be the first to have a child. Then your darling blonde friend mentioned something about how Seto's mother wasn't even very close to you. What was it that he had said? Something about 'love isn't always in the same company as lust,' Wasn't that along the lines of what you had said?"

Sasuke took a deep, calming breath. He could really his irritation rising. "What are you trying to say, Freak?"

She narrowed her eyes briefly at the name but her expression didn't falter for long. Moments later, she was smirking mischievously again. "Nothing, of course. But I guess it's safe to assume that you are, well for lack of a better term, a man-whore."

Sasuke leaned forward, his face blank. "You don't know anything. Now why don't you go run along and go terrorize small children or something. Or better yet, go run around the block or something. I know you like those cheesecakes and all, but seriously, a run would help burn off all those extra calories."

Ino narrowed her eyes dangerously while Sasuke just smirked. But before she could retort, Sakura poked her head in as well. "You two aren't fighting again, are you?"

"Of course not, right Ino? We were just discussing cheesecakes," Sasuke said with a roguish smirk. Sakura wasn't fooled and Ino's glare deepened. Sasuke chuckled and lifted his book back up.

Sakura and Seto fully entered the room then. Sakura tugged on Ino's arm, urging the blonde to go into the kitchen with her. She knew that the two had been bickering again and Ino had an insulted look on her face while Sasuke held a cocky, victorious expression on his. She knew it was best to separate them before one said something they would regret later.

Sasuke looked over when Seto tugged on his pant leg. The young boy smiled and Sasuke couldn't help but return the gesture. While Sakura tried to move Ino, Seto climbed onto the couch next to his father and hugged him. Both girls stopped and watched as Sasuke put down the book and hugged him back, pulling him onto his lap and kissing his head.

"I love you, Daddy," Seto murmured into the teen's chest.

Sasuke's eyes softened. "I love you too, Bubby."

Ino, this being the first time she had really seen Sasuke really express his emotions, stopped and watched. Even she couldn't deny the change the young teen had underdone while he was away. She stopped her struggles and silently decided to give him a pass this time, but only because she couldn't ruin the moment.

Sakura gently tugged on Ino sleeve and the blonde nodded. Wordlessly, they went to the kitchen. But when Seto noticed that Sakura was gone, he squirmed out of Sasuke's grip. Said teen smiled and gave him another kiss before gently patting his back and telling him to run off and behave. The boy joined the girls.

The girls had entered the kitchen and went to the island. Ino sat down and grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl and took a bite, chewing on it thoughtfully. She swallowed. "He's changed."

Sakura glanced at her and nodded, plucking single grapes out of the bundle and chewing on them. "Yeah," she stated simply.

"He loves the kid to death," the blonde said, staring at the countertop before looking up at the pinkette. "I wonder who his mother is."

Sakura shrugged. In truth, she sort of wondered too. She knew that Seto wasn't Sasuke's kid, but it still made her wonder who this woman was. What kind of woman was she to capture the attention of an Uchiha boy? And how did Seto wind up in Sasuke's care. Why wasn't she in the picture? Was she even alive? Or did she not want him? And if so, what kind of mother would abandon her child?

"I don't know." Sakura shrugged.

Ino eyed her nonchalant attitude. "Don't tell me you don't care?"

The pinkette blinked in surprise and stopped chewing. After a moment, she swallowed. "What?"

The blonde studied her. "You used to be in love with Sasuke, like madly in love. And going by Seto's age, this woman was in his life not long after he left you. How can you be so relaxed about this? I know you well enough to know that you should be at least care about her and who she is. Why don't you? Are you jealous at all?"

She hadn't thought about it. She knew the truth, so it didn't occur to her to be jealous. She wasn't jealous of her because that woman wasn't with Sasuke, she was with Itachi. But now that she thought about it, who said that Sasuke hadn't been with anyone while he was away? She didn't know. Anything could have happened. He was a different person now.

And for the first time she felt the sting of jealous in her heart. It hurt to think that he had been with someone. After she had confessed her love for him, for him to go off and be with someone else. It hurt to think about. She could almost picture some strange woman kissing him, a woman the complete opposite of her.

Sakura quickly shook her head, telling herself she was being irrational. What does she care if he had a relationship with another woman? She was over him now. _So_ over him.

But it's sort of pathetic when you can't even lie well to yourself.

Sakura sighed. "I just try not to think about it," she finally said to her friend.

Ino eyed her, sensing that the discussion was over. Just then, Seto entered the kitchen and gripped Sakura's hand. He gave a tug. "Chocolate?" he asked, though he mispronounced it.

She smiled at the boy. "I have a nice chocolate mousse recipe I have been wanting to try out. How's that sound? Want to help me make it?"

He nodded excitedly and the two set out to prepare it. It all went well enough until they were going to mix in the yolks. Sakura had bumped into an extra spoon and it clattered to the ground. In the same moment, Ino stepped forward to grab a glass out of the cupboard. She had moved the mixing bowl over so that she could get in, but when she moved it, half of it was now hanging over the side. She hadn't thought much of it because she was going to move it back when she was done.

Sakura bent down while Ino was moving the bowl to grab the spoon. When she was coming back up, she hit the bowl and it flipped onto her head. The entire contents of bowl dripped all over her while the bowl fell to the ground, now empty, with a loud bang. Everything froze.

Ino covered her open mouth with her hands while Sakura sat frozen with her eyes closed. After a moment, Ino spoke. "I'm sorry. Was that my fault?"

"Yeah, Pig, that was your fault."

Ino laughed nervously. Sakura stood up and wiped her hand across her face, getting the mix away from her eyes. She opened them and glanced down at her body, now covered in the dark mixture. She sighed. "I'm going to go take a shower."

Ino nodded while Seto giggled. "I'm going to just clean up this mess here," Ino suggested and Sakura nodded.

Sakura slowly and stiffly made her way out of the kitchen. Sasuke, who had working to block out the noise from the kitchen, glanced up from his book very briefly. But just as quickly, he did a double take when he saw Sakura covered in something brown and messy. He gave her a questioning stare and she, very bluntly answered his silent question. "We had an accident. I'm going to go shower."

And with that, she stiffly turned and headed up the stairs. She went straight to the bathroom and removed her shirt. She turned on the cold water and grabbed some soap and scrubbed the article furiously, trying to clean it before the mess dried in and left a stain. When she was satisfied, she lifted it out of the sink and examined it. But when she did so, it slipped from her fingers and messily fell to the ground.

Instead of mopping up her mess of water that she left on the ground, Sakura laid her shirt over the sink, where it dripped and created a bigger mess. But in that moment, she could care less. All she wanted to do was get into the shower and clean the chocolate out of her hair. She stripped herself of her clothes and turned the water on before stepping in.

Downstairs, Ino was wiping up the last of the mess when Seto tugged on her sleeve. He had chocolate smeared all over his hands and face, since she had given him a chocolate bar to make him happy after she ruined the recipe. She blinked and then smiled at how cute he looked. "Why don't you go and clean yourself up. I'll be right behind you to help you," she told him with a smile and he nodded before scurrying off.

Sasuke glanced up in time to watch him pass. He didn't think much of it.

But instead of going to the downstairs bathroom or even Sasuke's private bathroom, Seto went to the one that Sakura was in. While she lathered up her hair for the second time, the door opened noisily. Sakura looked over, though the shower curtain was between them. She could make out a small silhouette on the other side and she knew it was Seto.

And just as he hit the huge puddle of water Sakura had left, Sakura remembered its presence. She opened her mouth to warn him but it never made it out. Instead, she heard the sound of something sliding and then watched in silent horror as his little form fell.

He came crashing backwards and he gripped the shower curtain to try and steady himself. However, it wasn't enough and he yanked the curtain right off the support rail. The next thing Sakura knew, there was a little two year old, wrapped in a shower curtain, tumbling into the shower with her. He hit her legs while she tried to catch him but failed to when her own feet slipped out from underneath her. She screamed as she fell.

Downstairs, Sasuke calmly turned the page when he heard a scream. A moment's shock filled him and he didn't move until he saw Ino rush out of the kitchen. She looked at him and the dark haired teen remembered that Seto had disappeared moments before. "What was that? Was that Sakura?" the blonde asked him.

Sasuke jumped up and rushed to the hallway. But before he could answer he or question where Seto had gone, the blonde gripped his arm and tugged. She dragged him roughly up the stairs, pulling and tugging the entire time with such force that the teen wondered dimly if his arm was going to be tugged off. But before the blonde could amputate him, he found himself standing in front of the open bathroom door.

One moment he was behind the dumb blonde, the next, he was being pushed into the bathroom roughly. Steam was everywhere, making the air hot and sticky. It obscured his vision for a moment, and he felt disorientated. He forced himself to focus. The water was running behind him and he turned, nearly slipping on a big puddle on the ground.

Seto was staring up at him with a disoriented look that matched his father's. He was wrapped in the showered curtain, his face and exposed clothes getting soaked by the water's spray. Underneath him was Sakura. She was holding him in her arms, her own face equally bewildered. She was naked, but since the shower curtain and Seto were currently on top of her, she was covered. Even so, Sasuke felt his face heat up.

Sakura looked up at the teen, a frantic look coming over her. "I-I t-think he s-slipped on the p-puddle and u-um. I-I don't know. He just came c-crashing in the shower w-with me," she stuttered, so frazzled by everything that she couldn't think straight.

Sasuke let the words sink in before he grabbed two towels from the small closet by the door. He handed one to Sakura, and she stared at him in confusion for a moment. He ignored the stare and detangled Seto from the shower curtain. When the child was free, he lifted the shower curtain off of the fallen teen and discarded it onto the ground. With Seto being held by one arm, he wrapped the child up with the towel.

"I-is he okay?" Sakura stuttered. She sat up awkwardly, completely forgetting that she was naked and flashing her naked body to the other teen. He blushed again and adverted his eyes.

"Um, maybe you should . . . ," he trailed off.

"I tried to grab him when I fell. Did he get hurt?" she asked, leaning forward.

Sasuke couldn't resist, his eyes being drawn to her exposed flesh. But he caught himself quickly. He adverted his eyes again.

"Um . . ." he stared longingly at the hallway, looking for an escape. He glanced back at her again, and then turned away quickly. He noticed Ino standing in the doorway. Her face was bright red, but he could see from her expression that it wasn't from embarrassment. She was trying really hard to hold in her laughs. "Yeah, I'm going to go," he muttered and quickly pushed past Ino and sped into Seto's room. He closed the door after him.

Sakura blinked in confusion. "What? Where did he go? I don't understand."

Ino stepped into bathroom and noted her friend's position. She was still in the bathtub. Her one leg was hanging over the side while the other was folded into the bathtub, her most intimate parts open for display. The towel sat forgotten across her stomach while her breasts were exposed. Her expression was that of confusion.

Ino bent down and tugged at the towel to try and cover her. Sakura stared down at the towel for a moment, processing what just happened. Suddenly she blushed deeply, much brighter than a tomato and putting her pink hair to shame, and covered herself. She hugged the towel to her body. "Oh, no, no, no, no," she repeated.

Ino held back a laugh. Thankfully Sakura was too caught up in her moment to notice. She looked at her friend pleadingly. "You don't think Sasuke saw anything, do you?"

Ino bite her lip. "Do you want the truth?"

Sakura considered this for a moment. "Yeah . . ."

Ino stared at her for a moment, her face completely serious. "I think the only way he could have seen more is if you rubbed yourself all over him," she stated calmly, nodding matter-of-factly.

Sakura glared at her friend. "I don't need your joking right now! Sasuke just saw me naked!"

Ino snorted and then nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry. You're right. That was inappropriate of me. But in all seriousness, he saw everything. He was as red as a tomato."

Sakura groaned and slumped down into the tub. "Great. Just as things were starting to get better, Sasuke just had to see me naked."

Ino snorted and the pinkette glared. "Ino! This isn't funny!"

"I'm sorry!"

x O x

An awkward and tense air filled the house for the rest of the day. Sakura ate her dinner in her bedroom alone while the boys ate in the kitchen. Sakura tried to be normal around Seto but she couldn't bring herself to even look at Sasuke. Instead, she was bright red whenever he was around, staring at the ground.

Sakura went to bed early that night. Sasuke tucked in Seto and then made his way over to his own bedroom. He closed the door, got ready for bed, stripped himself of his clothes, and climbed into bed. And no matter how hard he tried not to, he couldn't stop thinking about a certain pinkette. Dripping wet.

He didn't sleep very well that night.

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**TaDa Done. Hope you enjoyed.**

**Please review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Soooooooo………Sorry that I have not updated in sooooooooooo long. What can I say, I'm a procrastinator. And well, the no plot thing is not helping. I been trying so hard to think of a plot but I have nothing. So as you can probably tell, theses are just filler chapters until I get a plot line. So, yeah that was my way of not asking for plot line help but hinting. **

**So, to let you all know, Seto was not trying to seek a peek at Sakura in the last chapter. He is still a little boy. He was going to see where Sakura was and stepped in a puddle and slipped. He grabbed onto the shower curtain and ended up falling on Sakura feet, making her fall as well.**

**Just thought I should explain it better. So now, the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Sakura sat across from Ino as they talked about nothing in particular. Ino had insisted on taking Sakura out for a girls weekend. She had noticed that there has been some awkwardness at the house, since the whole shower incident occurred a few days ago. So in hopes of relaxing Sakura, Ino called all the girls and informed them of the girl weekend.

Sakura and Ino were currently sitting at a small café, waiting for Tenten and Hinata to arrive. "So, Ino, What do you have planned for this weekend?" Sakura asked very casually.

"No. You will have to wait for the girls to get here before you find out. Until then, why don't we talk about life."

"Life?" Sakura said in a suspicious tone.

"Yes, life. Like clothes, work, the monthly visitor **(A/n: the dot lol), **or the awkwardness between you and Sasuke. You know, life." She said sweetly.

Sakura just sighed. "There is nothing to talk about. He saw me naked and now we are continuing life."

Ino gave her a look. "Yeah, continuing life. You left on Wednesday night for this weekend and it starts today, Friday. You're avoiding him."

Sakura sighed. There was not fighting it. He was avoiding him. "Fine! I'm avoiding him." she said frowning at the victorious smile that found a way onto Ino's face.

"Why are you avoiding him? It wasn't his fault. Plus, I will let you in on a little secret. I was the one who pushed him in the bathroom."

There was a eerie silence before Sakura spoke up. "YOU WHAT!?"

At this moment was when the other girls decided to show up. They walked up to the two and just smiled. The two were fighting again. Some things never change.

"Hey! Sorry we're late. I had to pry Hinata here away from Naruto." Tenten announced causing Hinata to blush.

Ino took this opportunity to change the subject between her and Sakura. "Really, why?"

"Well, Naruto has caught the bug that has been going around. He's been throwing up and his fever just went down. I didn't know if I should stay with him or not but he insisted that I spend time with you guys." Hinata explained quietly, her blush still present. **(a/n: Hinata is not so shy anymore. Ok? Because quite frankly, like I mentioned before, I don't feel like writing all the stuttering lol) **

"Really? Aw, poor Naruto." Sakura said almost forgetting what Ino told her.

The girls sat down and ordered some tea and some small snacks while they chatted pleasantly. After there orders arrived, Sakura re-asked her question. "So, Ino, now that everyone is here, what do you have planned for this weekend?"

Ino swallowed the food that was in her month and took a sip of her tea before she answered. "Well, I planned out the whole weekend. Today we will enjoy some well deserved spa treatments, then tonight, a movie night, filled with only the best movies, popcorn, chocolate, and much more. Then tomorrow, we will spend the day shopping. Then we will go out and party on Saturday night. No way that all the boys get to have fun and not us! Then to finish it all up, Sunday morning will be filled with a big breakfast filled with our favorite hangover foods." Ino finished with a huge smile plastered on her face.

The nodded and smiled. This was going to be a good weekend for them.

* * *

Sasuke awoke on Thursday morning from something pulling lightly on the blankets. Sasuke's eyes fluttered open and was greeted with the bright red numbers of his clock informing him that it was three o' five in the morning. Sasuke turned over and looked to the source that woke him up. And like as he expected he saw Seto's dark eyes staring into to his.

Sasuke smiled at him. He had a uneasy expression on his face and his blanket wrapped around him. He probably is sad that Sakura left for the girl thing that Ino insisted on having, Sasuke assumed. Sasuke rolled over so that there was room for Seto to climb into the bed and closed his eyes to go back to sleep. But when he didn't feel Seto climb into the bed, he looked back at him.

Seto stood in the same position as before, just staring at him. Before Sasuke could ask what was wrong, Seto spoke up. "Daddy, I don't feel good."

Sasuke sat up and threw his legs over the side of his bed. He extended his arms and Seto flew into them quickly. Sasuke pulled Seto up onto his lap and Seto cuddled into his chest. Sasuke gently held him as he spoke to him. "Okay, what's wrong? Is it your stomach?"

Seto pulled away and looked him in the eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but suddenly stopped. Sasuke watched as the color drained from his face and as he began to shake lightly. Oh no, he knew what that meant.

Sasuke quickly reached for the garbage can that was between his bed and the desk in the room. He quickly held it into front of Seto just in time to catch the puke that came. He held Seto as he continued to throw up for the next few minutes.

After Seto stopped throwing up he began to sob. Sasuke gentle rubbed his back as he tried to calm the boy, but it wasn't working. Sasuke set the trash can down and began to walk around the house, continuing to rub the boy's back. He learned that walking around and holding him was a easy way to calm him down.

Sasuke paced the entire house until Seto calmed down and drifted into sleep. Sasuke went into the living room and gently placed Seto's sleeping form on the couch. He then pulled a blanket that was hung over the back of the couch and covered up the boy. He placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before going into the kitchen.

Sasuke plopped his tired body onto a kitchen chair and sighed. He glanced at the at the clock and sighed again. It was five thirty. He had spent more than two hours walking around the house carrying Seto.

Sasuke sighed again and placed his head on the table. He was just about the claim some sleep when he heard some noises. Some noises he didn't want to hear. Noises that sounded like a sick splat, like something gross hitting the floor, and more sobs following shortly after. Sasuke sighed once again before heading into the living room where a gross mess awaited him.

Sasuke walked in a found that Seto had somehow managed to vomit on himself, the blanket, and the floor, but thankfully, missed the couch. Sasuke walked over carefully and comforted the boy. He had a look on his face like he thought he was going to get in trouble. Sasuke just smiled.

"Why don't you we get you into a bath. While your in there, I will get this cleaned up and then help you wash up. Sound good to you?"

Seto looked at him for a moment and then slowly nodded. Sasuke helped him get up with spreading the mess and began to walking into the bathroom. Once inside, Sasuke started the water and stripped Seto. He placed Seto in the tub and went to get him some clean clothes while the bath filled up.

A few minutes later, Sasuke re-enter the bathroom and set his clothes down, and turned off the water. "Okay, you sit here for a moment and while I go and clean up the mess."

He waited for Seto to nod before he startled out the door. But before he got out the door he heard a small voice. "Are you mad at me for making a mess?"

Sasuke turned back to Seto and found him staring down into the water, tears filling his eyes. Sasuke stood in shock for a moment before walking back over to his side and sitting on the ground.

"No, I'm not mad at you. I know you didn't mean to and that you can't help it. Why would you think that I would be mad?"

Seto sat still, still staring at the water, not making eye contact but Sasuke saw that saw tears fell into the water. "Mommy told me that grandpa used to get mad at you for making messes when you were little."

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, remembering when he was little. How he would made a mess and his father would just give him this look that made him know that he was in trouble. He quickly learned not to make messes and to keep things neat. Which is why his house was always clean, even after the death of his family.

Sasuke was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Seto sniffling. "No, I'm not mad at you. I would never be mad at you for something as small as this."

When Seto still continued to avoid eye contact and silently cry Sasuke gently took hold of his chin and raised it so there eyes met. He looked him right in the eyes and gave him his special smile. The smile that he only gives him. Seto was still for a moment then slowly smiled back.

Sasuke felt a weight lift off him and he released a breath he didn't realize he was hold. He patted his head gently and stood up. "Okay, just sit there for a moment. I will be back."

As he was walking down the hall he heard a small 'O.K. Daddy' and smiled. But then he remembered he had to go clean up a gross mess. Needless to say, the smiled faded.

* * *

Sakura awoke on Sunday morning with a huge headache. Ino had insisted that if the boys went out and partied then they should too. Now as a result, the four girls awoke with the biggest hangovers ever.

When Sakura awoke, Ino was already cooking breakfast. Well, Hinata was and Ino was leaning on the fridge. "Ino, what are you doing?" Sakura asked as she joined Tenten at the table, sipping on her morning coffee (and holding her head).

"Fridge. Cold. Feels good. Head."

Sakura sighed. "What, to hung-over to form sentences?" she said only to receive a glare.

Sakura smiled innocently at the girl as she pushed away from the fridge and joined the two girls at the table. Soon, Hinata joined them after placing pancakes, eggs, bacon, toast, and many more delicious foods on the table.

The girl chatted away about nothing in particular for some time, when Ino decided to change the subject. "So, Sakura, are you looking forward to going back to Sasuke and the kid?"

Sakura glared at the girl across from here. Tenten and Hinata saw this and exchanged glances. "Okay. Whenever someone mentions Sasuke, you give Ino a death glare. What is going on? Spill." Tenten said, or demanded, Sakura.

Sakura just sighed, swallowed the food in her mouth, and took a sip of here coffee, before she explained everything. Hinata placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as Tenten and Ino laughed up a storm, almost falling out of their chairs.

"It's not funny! Because of it everything is really awkward. You guys are so mean! No wonder I always liked Hinata."

"I'm sorry but it is kind of funny." Tenten said between laughs as she tried to calm down.

Sakura glared at the two of them and took another sip of her coffee. "Well, Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to going back."

- x- O - x -

Sakura walked slowly up to the front door. She had made sure to walk slowly the entire time she was walking home but she had finally arrived, to her dismay. She took a deep breath and opened the door only to be greeted by silence. She quietly walked in and placed her bag down and began to take her shoes and coat off.

Once she was done she grabbed her bag and walked farther into the house. She looked into the living room but saw no one so she silently walked into the kitchen. What she saw shocked her. She expected to see Sasuke and Seto sitting down for lunch. Or to see them 'training', which was really just playing, outside by the backdoor.

But instead, she saw Sasuke holding Seto in his arms. Sasuke looked tired, to say the least. He was wearing his black pajama pants and a plain t-shirt. He had dark bags under his eyes that made him look like he hadn't slept in days. Seto wasn't looking to good either. He also was wearing some pajama clothes, his looking cleaner than Sasuke's. But he looked pale, tired and like he has been crying for a while.

She walked over to the two and tapped Sasuke on the shoulder. He turned and just looked at her. "When did you get home?"

Sakura glanced at him and then to the boy in his arms only to see that he was sleeping. "I just got home. What happened?" she asked, still looking at Seto as she gently brushed some hair out of his face.

"Seto got sick so I have been taking care of him. He caught the bug that has been going around. Must have caught it from Naruto, I heard he was sick, too." Sasuke explained.

"Yeah, Hinata said that he was sick. She was taking care of him for awhile. Poor little guy. I hate it when I get sick. Why don't I take care of Seto for awhile. You can go relax, sleep, take a shower or something. You look exhausted."

Sasuke nodded and return and carefully handed Seto to Sakura before heading up stairs. He grabbed the things needed and went into the bathroom for a needed shower.

- x- O - x -

When Sasuke got out of the shower he headed down stairs and into the empty kitchen. Feeling hunger he went into the fridge and noticed they were out of tomatoes. He made a mental note to buy more as he pulled out a container of applesauce.

He put some into a bowl and leaned against the counter as he slowly ate. It felt good to eat something. He had been so busy taking care of Seto that he had simply forgot to eat.

A few moments later Sakura joined him in the kitchen, something gross clinging to her arm. She walked over to the sink next to him and began to wash her arm off. "Everything okay?" he asked.

She paused for a moment and then continued to clean herself. "Yeah, I just got Seto to lay down and sleep. But not before he threw up on my arm." She said very nonchalantly. Sasuke was silent for a moment as he looked down at his food. It suddenly not looking as good as before.

He placed the bowl down and watched as she washed her arm again for the second time. "Um. . . . .thanks for helping." he muttered.

Sakura stopped and looked up at him. Emerald met with onyx. They stared into each others eyes for awhile, and Sakura could almost see some emotions in his eyes. She just stared into his eyes, getting lost in them. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't.

She tore her eyes away when her hand slide into the water that was running. She stared at the water and then felt a strange urge to look back into his eyes. She quickly pushed the thought aside and just smiled, looking back at him. "It's no problem. I just want him to get better soon."

- x- O - x -

Sasuke and Sakura tucked Seto into his bed, a bucket on the side of the bed. They each laid a gentle kiss on his forehead before they turned on his nightlight, turned off his light and closed the door.

They head down stairs and cleaned up the kitchen. By the time they were done, it was two in the morning, and both of them were exhausted from taking care of Seto. Silently they walked into the living room, both to tired to think about anything other than sleep.

Silently they walked toward the couch, not thinking about it and both tried to lay down. Sasuke just threw himself on the couch, laying down with his eyes closed, only to feel something land on him. He opened his eyes and say that Sakura had laid down on his chest and she had a confused look on her face. They were silent for awhile, staring at each other with confused looks before she spoke. "What are you doing?"

He continued to stare at her. "Laying down. What are you doing?"

"I thought you were going to go sit in the chair. What are you doing on the couch?" she said in a confused manner, ignoring his question.

"What are _you _doing on the couch?"

She just stared at him, her exhaustion starting to take over her as she was finding it hard to keep her head up. "You know, one of us should get up."

Her words slowly registered in his head as sleep started to cloud his head. "I was here first." he said very groggy.

She laid her head down so that her head rested on his left shoulder, her breath tickling his nest as she spoke. "What are we two years old?"

He slowly chuckled, making Sakura more aware that she was laying on him and could feel him underneath him. But she was just to tired to care, and she had a feeling that Sasuke felt the same way. But still she spoke the words she didn't think she would do. "Fine, I'll get up."

She heard him mumble incoherent words. She cuddled into him, finding him comfy and warm. She then felt him start to move and she thought that he was going to either get up or push her off. Instead, she felt his arms wrap around her waist and she smiled. She wouldn't have to get up. And with that happy thought, She drifted into sleep. Sasuke following shortly after.

* * *

**So, what do you think. Sorry, it took so long to get out there. Please tell me how if you like it or if I should fix something. Oh and sorry if there is any spelling or grammar mistakes.**

**Oh and check out my profile. I have a new poll up. So yeah. Thanks for reading. I'll try to update soon.**

**-Sessy52-**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello there. Hey look I updated quickly. Well that is actually thanks to one person. I posted the last chapter, and then logged off. And the next day I checked my mail and I have a ton of mail. I was reading them and I noticed that one person when and reviewed for all the chapters! I love this person. Lol.**

**So this chapter is for **sasusaku779

**Thank you to anyone else who reviewed too.**

**Enjoy!**

Light filtered through the binds and hit Sakura right in the face. She could feel the warmth of the light on her face but she also felt more warmth engulfing her body. Her eyes reluctantly fluttered open, only to be blinded by the light. She snapped her eyes close and turned her head away, burying her face into something underneath her.

She laid there for a moment and tried to wake up fully so she could think clearly. It was only after something underneath she moved that she awoke fully. She slowly raised her head so looked at her surroundings. And then last night flooded back to her as she stared down at Sasuke's sleeping face.

He had his arms around her so she couldn't get up without waking him up, so she just laid there. She didn't really know what she should be feeling about this. One day they were hardly talking, or looking at each other, for that matter, and now she was in his arms.

And does this mean anything? Or was it just a one time thing? Does this mean that he has feeling for her or something? Or was it nothing and she is just over thinking this?

She sighed and pushed those thoughts away. She looked back at Sasuke's face. He had really grown up over the years. He was really handsome, and no longer the cute little boy he used to be. Sasuke turned in his sleep slightly, moving his head. The light hit something that shined in his hair and drew Sakura's attention.

Sakura brushed a few locks of hair away from his ear and for the first time noticed that his left ear was pierced. Shining in the light was a small silver hoop. He also had two small, dull, black studs in his lobe, underneath the hoop. Sakura just stared in amazement. Even she didn't have her ears pierced. She never thought that it would look good on her. (and she was afraid too.) But it somehow worked for him.

It gave him a kind of tough guy, rebellious look. It was a look that Sasuke could pull off. Sasuke was a lucky person. His looks allowed him to pull off a lot of different styles. He could be anything he wanted, including a model.

Sakura's eyes drifted to his face again. She stared at every inch, memorizing each feature. Everything from his lush eyelashes(that she was jealous of) to his perfectly shaped chin.

She then laid here head back down on his shoulder. She closed her eyes for a moment and just relaxed. She took a deep breath and the foreign scent washed over her senses. It smelled a little like the rain and soap. But there was something else. Some other smell that was indescribable. She smiled and opened her eyes and realized that she had smelled Sasuke. She blushed and snapped her eye close, embarrassed for enjoying his smell.

She adjusted herself as she cuddled into him deeper, her forehead being brushed with his soft hair. Her eyes slowly opened and was greeted by a dark mark at the base of his neck. Maybe he wasn't so lucky after all.

She brushed off the thoughts and raised her head again. She stared at nothing in particular until he moved again slightly. She looked at him and watched as his eyebrows knitted together for moment and then he looked as peaceful as ever.

But then Sakura noticed how perfect his eyebrows were. She looked leaned forward and examined them. They didn't look like he plucked them, but they were just so perfect. She felt a tinge of jealousy flashed through her. Life is not fair that is eyebrows are just so perfect while she has to work at hers.

But life is also unfair to her in many ways. As Sakura continued to lean forward, examining his eyebrows, his eyes lazily fluttered open. Sakura froze where she was and hoped that he wouldn't notice her. Even though she was in his face. But hey, she can hope, can't she?

Sasuke stared into her eyes as he began to wake fully. He raised one of his perfect eyebrows and Sakura knew he noticed. And she couldn't think of what to do, her body still frozen. "Um,. . .G-good morning, Sunshine." she said with a awkward smile on her face.

He stared into her for awhile longer before smirking at her. "Good morning to you, too,. . . ._ Princess_." he spoke quietly, in a mocking tone. Sakura blushed a deep shade of red and felt like shriveling up and dieing right then and there. She averted her gaze but stayed in the same position. She franticly tried to think of something to say, something to save her from embarrassment. But all that came out was- "So, D-did you sleep well?"

He stared at her and thought out the question, his smirk growing. "Um, yes, I actually did sleep well." She smiled back awkwardly, not knowing what to do. She silently waited for him to do something, but nothing came.

After awhile, her muscles started to feel strain from their 'odd' position. She slowly just moved back and laid her head back down on his shoulder, since he showed no signs of moving and allowing to get up.

They laid there for a good thirty minutes before Sasuke broke the silence. "What time is it?" Sakura turned her head and glanced at the clock before turning back and laying her head down again, getting back into the comfy position. It felt so nice to lay in his arms, like she fit perfectly. "nine thirty-six." she mumbled, her breath tickling his neck again.

Sasuke sighed. He knew he should get up but he was rather comfortable. And he had a feeling that it was going to be one of those days. And quite frankly, he liked how he was feeling at the moment and didn't want that to stop. He was quite content at the moment.

But life wasn't going to stop just because he was content with just laying around, Sakura in his arms. Plus, he really had to piss.

He loosened his grip on her, losing some warmth as well. He almost wrapped his arms around her again but he really had to piss. So he pulled his arms back and waited for her to get up. Except she didn't move.

Sakura laid there, daydreaming. When Sasuke noticed this, he chuckled slightly and caused Sakura to wake up. She raised her head and gave him a confused look. He smirked at her. "Sakura, I kind of need you to get up."

She could feel her face heat up as her quickly stood up. "Oh yeah. Sorry about that." she stuttered out followed by some nervous laughs. She stood there awkwardly as she watched him get up and head for the bathroom, still smirking.

When she heard the door close she sighed. She inwardly scolded herself for acting stupid. After a moment she sighed again and sat down on the couch. But as soon as her butt made contact with the couch, she heard a knock on the door.

With a sigh, she got up and lazily walked over to the door, dragging her feet along the way. When she reached the door, she opened it and was greeted by Ino. Ino causally waltzed in, without waiting for Sakura to let her in, and quickly taking off her shoes (forgetting to take off her coat) and headed for the kitchen.

Sakura sighed again mumbling a 'come on in' and closed the door. She dragged herself to the kitchen and sat down at the table while Ino rummaged through the fridge, grabbing an apple. "Hey Sakura, you're out of tomatoes."

Just rolled her eyes at the girl. She acts as if this was her house. "So Ino, what brings you here so early in the morning?" she asked as Ino joined her at the table.

"Early? Pa-lease! I haven't even been to bed yet! But anyways, I ran into your father in the market today." she said as she slouched in her chair and put her feet on another chair across from her.

"Really? What did he say?" Sakura asked, ignoring how relaxed her friend was.

"Oh well we talked about nothing really. You know, 'how is the family' and such. Then he asked about you. He wanted to know if you were good and if you were used to it here yet and if you liked it here. I told you were good and you adjusted well. I even told him that Seto has grown attached to you." she said before taking another bite of her apple.

"So, nothing eventful. Well that's good." Sakura said while Ino chewed her food.

"Well, that's the thing. He didn't really seem all that convinced with what I told him. You know how your father is." She said before stopping to take another bite.

"And? What did you do? What did he do?" Sakura questioned, starting to get a little panicked.

"Well, see, um he actually invited himself over for dinner. She also invited your mother, and me over too. And it's tonight. Funny, right?" she said followed by a nervous laugh.

"What? He invited himself and then sent you over here to tell me about this!" she almost yelled, but remembered Seto was sleeping upstairs.

"Well, I was on my way here anyways. I just wanted to make sure that the whole awkwardness-thing wasn't killing you."

As if on que, Sasuke walked calmly into the kitchen, the smirk still dancing on his face when he say that Sakura's face was tinted with pink when she saw him. She lowered her eyes and tried to calm down while Ino greeted Sasuke.

He nodded his head in acknowledgment, before opening the fridge, noticing that she stole his apple. He closed the refrigerator door and glared at her. She gave him a questioning look and was about to speak when Sakura stood up and distracted her.

Sakura walked over to Sasuke and gave him apologetic look. He was about to question her when she leaned forward a little and looked down, the top of her head almost touching his chest.

"Ino ran in my father today. They talked about the family and things of unimportance and then he asked about how I was doing here. She told him I was good but he didn't believe her and invited himself over for dinner tonight." she whispered in a apologetic tone.

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, letting the words sink in. He was never on good terms with her father, for some reason. Her father just never liked him. And from the sounds of it, he was going to have to have dinner with the man. Like meeting the parents, kind of.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. He also invited Ino and my mother over. My mother should be fine, and Ino will be Ino. But, my father is very protective of me and is slightly paranoid. So there might be a chance that he will ask you a ton of questions, some personal. And it is actually a large chance, like I'm almost positive. _I'm so sorry_." she whispered, stressing the last part.

Sakura kept her head down, inwardly scolding herself for letting something like this happen. Even though, deep down she known it wasn't her fault. It was going to happen eventually.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt something gently grab her chin. She felt the thing gently pull her head up and she came face to face with Sasuke. She let his hand linger on her chin as he spoke. "I know. And it's okay. And what's one night of torture? Let's just get it over with." he said looking straight in her eyes.

Sakura stood there, lost in his eyes again. She leaned forward until her small form was pushed into his strong chest. Her hands found there way to his arms and lightly touched them, making a burning sensation got up both there arms, and course though their entire bodies. She felt like she was raising, like she was inching herself closer to his face. Closer to his perfect lips.

Suddenly they heard a thump from upstairs and they both looked up. They stared at the ceiling for a moment before looking back each other. "I'll go and check on him." Sasuke whispered. Sakura blushed as she backed up, realizing that when she felt like she was raising, it was because she was. On her tippie-toes. She looked down and watched as his feet began to walk away. Her eyes followed his feet and she looked up again when they disappeared, staring at the doorway he just went through.

After a moment, she gained her senses back and looked back at the table. She had forgotten that Ino was there and hoped she didn't see what just happened. But when she saw Ino's smile she knew she saw. She turned red again but she tried to play it cool. "What?"

Ino just gave her a knowing look and shook her head. "So, what do you think I should make for dinner?" Sakura asked as she tried to change the subject and fight the blush on her face.

- x- O - x -

Sakura rushed around as she finished with the dinner and rushed around cleaning everything again. She wanted this to be perfect so that her father would be convinced that she was fine here and would bother them again. And she was also nervous that her father was going to misbehave because of his protectiveness.

Sasuke walked into the kitchen carrying Seto. Seto was much better today and after staying in bed all day to be sure, they decided that it would be okay for him to join them at dinner. Sasuke set him down in a chair and walked over to help Sakura.

Sasuke walked behind Sakura and took away the rag she was cleaning with. She turned around to protest but was silenced when Sasuke reached up and placed his finger on her lips. "Sakura, calm down. Everything will be fine. You already cleaned everything six times. I can't get any cleaner. Now why don't you go and join Ino in the living room." Sasuke said as he began to steer her toward the living room.

"But the food." she protested, only to receive a sigh from Sasuke.

"I'll handle it. You just need to relax. Join the bum that has made herself comfortable in our house and won't leave." he said as he gently forced Sakura on the couch and glared at Ino, who gave him a innocent look, before going back into the kitchen.

But as soon as Sasuke made it into the kitchen, there was knocks at the door and Sakura sprung up. Sasuke sighed, in the kitchen doorway, as he watched her run to the door. Once she reached the door she fixed her knee-length skirt, her low cut v neck shirt with a small tank top underneath and her hair that was half up, half down, before opening the door with a kind, but forced, smile.

Sasuke heard 'Hi Dad' and 'Oh Mom' as he walked back into the kitchen to take the food off the stove. Once he was done, he put everything in place and walked into the living room where he found Ino in one of the armchairs, and Mr. Haruno, Mrs. Haruno, and Sakura on the couch, chatting away. He walked in with Seto hiding behind him.

Once Sakura noticed that Sasuke walked in she quickly stood up. "Mom, Dad, you remember Sasuke." her nervousness showing in her voice and her jumpiness. Mrs. Haruno stood up and greeted him with a warm smile and a slightly awkward, for him, hug (though she didn't seem to notice that the hug was awkward). "I've heard so much about you, Sasuke." she said in a kind voice.

Sasuke took in her appearance and was slightly shocked. He had never meet her before but heard Sakura mention her once or twice. She was a small thing like Sakura, probably the same size. She had a kind face with kind blue eyes, reminding him of someone that he couldn't recall at the moment. She basically looked like an older version of Sakura with blue eyes and red hair. And if Sakura was going to age like her mother did then she would age nicely and still look beautiful.

Wait, did the great Sasuke Uchiha just compliment Sakura and her mother. Umm, . . .

Soon Sakura's mother sat back down and Mr. Haruno stood up. Mr. Haruno had a harsh look to him. She had a stern look in his dark green eyes that would have been intimidating if it wasn't the great Uchiha. He looked like he had aged nicely as well but you could still see lines on his face. He had brown short hair and didn't share many similarities with Sakura.

He stood in front of Sasuke and eyed him. He then stuck his hand out and shook hands with Sasuke while mumbling a 'Uchiha' as a greeting only to receive a 'Mr. Haruno' in return.

After a moment they let go and Mr. Haruno returned to his seat, but not without giving Sasuke a glare that was ignored. Sasuke took a seat in the other armchair and pulling Seto into his lap, who snuggled into Sasuke's chest, hiding.

"And who is this little guy?" Mrs. Haruno asked as she waved to him.

"That's Seto." Sakura announced.

"He's your son?" Mr. Haruno asked in a gruff tone.

Sakura was about to speak but Sasuke beat her to it. "Yes, he is my son." he said in a defensive tone. Sakura eyed Sasuke but Sasuke didn't look at her. He just looked Mr. Haruno in the eyes and gave him a look that told him not to say anything about it. Sasuke could care less what this guy could say about him but you never say anything bad about Seto. Even if he wasn't really his son, he treated him like his own and not as his uncle. He was family. As far as he was concerned, he was his son.

"He looks shy." Mrs. Haruno said still smiling and waving at Seto.

"He's shy around strangers." Sasuke said as he continued to glare at Mr. Haruno.

Sakura glanced at Ino for help and saw that she was enjoying her parents and Sasuke meeting. She had a big smile on her face and watched as they interacted and Sakura knew was not going to get any help from her at the moment. Instead, she turned to Sasuke and whispered in his ear. "Is the food ready?"

Sasuke tore his eyes away from Mr. Haruno and looked at Sakura. He saw the frantic look in her eyes and smirked. She was freaking out. He nodded at her, amusement showing in his eyes. She smiled in relief. Mr. Haruno watched them interact and glared even though he didn't hear what was said between them.

"Why don't we go into the kitchen and eat." she said with a fake smile.

**(a/n: I almost ended it right here but decided to just continue.)**

- x- O - x -

Everyone sat around the table enjoying the food and the girls chatted pleasantly, the boys quiet. Sakura sat on one side of the rectangular table with Sasuke and Seto between them. Ino sat across from Sakura, with Mrs. Haruno between her and Mr. Haruno.

"You know, this food is delicious!" Mrs. Haruno announced

"Thank you. Sasuke and I made it." Sakura said as a blush started to appear on her face.

Mrs. Haruno was about to compliment them both again when Mr. Haruno spoke. "So, Sasuke, how is your money situation?"

Sasuke just looked at him for a moment. He inwardly sighed. He comes the questions. "Fine."

"Fine?" he said in a tone that said he didn't believe him.

Sakura gave Ino and her mother a look. She knew he was going to question Sasuke.

"Yes, I have all of my clan's money."

"Oh yes. You would get all of their money because you are the last Uchiha. That must be rather lonely." he said as he eyed the Uchiha who gave him a blank stare. When he saw that Sasuke was not going to comment, he continued. "But you must have had many girlfriends, right?"

He looked at the Uchiha and waited for a reaction but saw none. So he continued again. "I mean, you have a son. So you of had sex. How old are you again?"

Sakura glanced at her mother and saw that her mother wore a shocked expression. She then glanced at Ino, expected to see her smiling but saw that she was looking up at the ceiling, pretending she wasn't paying attention.

"Eighteen." Sasuke said knowing that he was setting himself up. "And how old is the boy?" he heard the man across from him ask.

"Two." he said calmly, but Sakura could tell that he was angry.

"Two, huh? So that would make you sixteen. You were sixteen and already having sex.", he said while shaking his head. Sasuke looked down and stared at his food, in attempt to calm himself, as he listened to the man continue. "Well, you can't really be blamed. You were in the sound nation and you never had anyone around long enough to teach you about sex."

Sasuke stiffened at the man's words. Sakura stiffened as well for a moment and glanced around. Her mother had a appalled look on her face as she looked at her husband. She then turned her attention to Sasuke. Ino stopped pretending that she hadn't noticed because she was just so shocked that her father would say something like that. She was staring at both the males at the other end of the table. Sakura glanced at Seto and noticed that he was playing with his food and had no clue what was going on. She was happy about that.

She then looked at Sasuke. He was clutching the chopsticks in his hands tightly and they had broken. And his whole body was stiff. But eyes was the thing that shocked her the most. Instead of being blank or holding amusement like she had seen before, she saw other emotions. Anger was the one that showed the most. She could practically see the anger bubbling in his eyes. But she also say a small bit of sadness and hurt. Her father had crossed the line.

But he seemed oblivious to this fact. He actually continued. "Have you been tested for any sort of STD?" he asked in a causal tone.

And with that, Sasuke had had enough. He stood up, not looking at anyone, just staring down at the table. Ino stared, waiting for him to just start wailing on the man. Instead, he just stood there for another moment. "I think I have had enough. It was. . . . . . I think I need some air." he said to everyone before he turned to Seto. "Are you done eating?"

Seto nodded his head and put down his chopsticks. Sasuke pulled him into his arms and carried him to the front door. It was completely silent in the kitchen so they heard Sasuke telling Seto that he needs his coat. Shortly after they heard the door open and close.

Complete silence followed.

**Oh yeah, he went there. lol Wow, i think that was the longest chapter yet. Lol so what do you think? I don't know Sakura's parents names so I just stuck to Mr. and Mrs. Haruno. Sorry about that.**

**Well anyways, let me know what you thought (review, lol)**

**Oh and the suhshine and princess thing is actually what me and my friend call each other. I'm princess lol. So shout out to him!**

**Until next time,**

**-Sessy52-**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello there. How are you doing? I'm pretty good myself. I just want to thank all that reviewed and giving me really good ideas. Seriously, thank you.**

**Well I don't really have much to say so I guess just enjoy.**

* * *

Sakura sat in the mostly dark living room, only a small lamp on, waiting for Sasuke and Seto to return home. She had tried to just going to bed, but she couldn't sleep. She had to see Sasuke and apologize. Her father had crossed the line.

Sakura pulled the small blanket that was wrapped around her small form closer to her body. It was cold outside and she didn't have anything on, besides the lamp, so the house was pretty cold. She inwardly scolded herself for wearing shorts and a tank top as she pulled her bare legs up to her chest and wrapped the blanket over them.

She rested her head on the arm of the couch and stared into the darkness around her. She closed her eyes and let the sound of the ticking clock slowly put her mind into a peaceful state. The next thing she knew she heard the door open and close. She stood up from the couch, letting the blanket fall from her body, and just waited for him to appear.

After taking off his shoes, Sasuke quietly started for the stairs. But as he was passing the living room he noticed someone standing there. He stopped walking and stared at Sakura. They stayed like that for a moment before he remembered Seto was sleeping in his arms.

Sakura watched as Sasuke disappeared from her line of vision as he started up the stairs again. She listened to his footfalls as they reached the top of the stairs and continue on. She silently walked over to the entryway to living room and leaned against the wall, collecting her thoughts.

She had every word planned out for what she was going to say. But when she saw Sasuke, she forgot everything. All she could think about now was how he looked. He looked calm, but it was Sasuke. But in his eyes, it kind of looked like he was upset. Not only was it a new thing to actually see emotions in his eyes. But she saw sadness.

Finally Sakura just decided to go up and just wing it, since she couldn't remember what she had planned. She silently went up stairs. When Sasuke came into view, he was closing Seto's door. He turned and glanced at her before making his way to his own room. Sakura took a deep breath and followed him.

Sakura stood in the doorway and watched Sasuke. He was at his dresser at the moment, digging through the drawers. He then turned around, and glanced at her before walking over to the side of the bed, some sort of clothing in his hand. He laid the clothing down on the bed, his back to her.

Before Sakura could even react, she saw Sasuke pulled down his pants, revealing black boxers, and begin to pull on the black comfy pants that he had laid on the bed. When he looked over his shoulder he saw that Sakura had turned her head slightly and had a small blush on her face.

He smirked and turned around to look at her. After a moment she looked back at him and stared before walking over to his bed. She silently sat on the edge and stared down at the navy blue comforter.

"I'm sorry." she said before he could ask her any questions.

"About what?" he said after a moment of silence.

She continued to look at the bed as she spoke. "About my father. He was way out of control. He should have never said any of that."

Sasuke stared down at her. Her voice held hints of angry, sadness, and regret. She was beating herself up about this. And she shouldn't. She had no control over what happened tonight. Naruto had mentioned to him once that Sakura did that sometimes. She would beat herself up over things she had no control over. He said it might be a reason she got hurt a lot.

Sasuke sat down in front of her on the bed. "It's okay. You had no control over it so I don't see why you're apologizing."

She looked up at him and saw that he was looking off to the side. "He said some hurtful things."

"It's okay. I don't care." he said still not looking at her. And there was something that told Sakura that he was lying. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach.

"Sasuke, don't lie to me." she said in a soft but firm voice.

He turned and looked at her and she saw it again, the sadness. But he was the great Uchiha, so he adverted his eyes and calmed himself down. Or at least tried to cover it.

They were silent for a few beats but Sasuke broke the silence. "You know, your mother reminds me of someone special."

Sakura looked at him, wanting him to continue. He glanced at her before speaking again. "I noticed it when we first met, but I couldn't think of who it was that she reminded me of.", he paused to glance back at her, seeing that she wanted him to continue. "And then I noticed again at dinner. It was her smile. Kind and loving. It reminded me of . . . ."

He was staring down at the comforter, now. Having trouble finding his voice. He calmed himself when he felt a hand reach out and take his cold hand, warming it. "It reminded me of my mother."

There was more silence followed, but it wasn't an awkward one like the ones before. A content one. Sakura smiled. She reached for his other hand, attempting to warm it up. "I wish I had known her." she mumbled more to herself than to Sasuke.

He looked up and stared at her. She eyes shined from the moonlight as she stared down at their hands. He smirked. "Your hands are warm."

She smiled and looked up him. "Well I was covered up in a blanket while you were out in the cold." She said as her hands started to gliding up his arm. "You're freezing. Were you even wearing a coat?" She asked as worry filled her eyes.

Sasuke gave her an innocent look and shook his head. The next thing he knew he was being covered in the blanket that was just sitting on his bed. "What? Are you insane? Geez, use that head of yours. You're going to catch a cold."

"What about you, huh? You're going to catch a cold in those short shorts." he said in a mocking voice as he pulled her closer to cover her up, too.

She blushed and instinctively pulled at her shorts. Sasuke chuckled at this, causing her to blush more. "Stop making fun of me, it's comfy."

"It may be comfy, but do you really think it is wise to risk your health."

"Oh shush, you." she said as she noticed just how close they were. When Sasuke pulled her closer, he pulled her right onto his lap. She was straddling him and his arms were wrapped around her waist. She stared at him as blush formed on her face.

Sasuke seemed oblivious to this fact and just looked at the clock, it telling him that it was midnight.

"Wow, it's already midnight. I guess I spent more time at Naruto's than I thought."

Suddenly, Sasuke began to lie down, but he didn't let Sakura go, so he pulled her down with him. But, she managed to hold herself up, sort of. Her hands were placed on both sides of his head and her knees were other both sides of his hips, so she was hovering over him. She was about to get up but he was still holding onto her and she didn't really want to. She was quite tempted to just lie down on his chest, like before. But instead she stayed like that.

Sakura looked at him, then remembered what he said about Naruto's, momentarily forgetting how they were positioned. "Naruto's?"

"Yeah, I went there after I left. We just hung out while Seto slept. So what happened here when I was gone." he asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

"Oh, my parents left right after you. My mom was so mad at my dad. Ino helped me clean up and then actually passed out in the guest bedroom." she said still hovering over him.

His face suddenly went blank as she stared at him. She sat up so that she was sitting on his upper thighs and gave him a questioning look. "Wait. You're telling me that Ino is in my house, sleeping in my guest bedroom." he said.

She put on an innocent face and smiled. She put her finger on her lip and tried to look as cute as she could. Sasuke just gave her a blank look before muttering a 'cute' and then tried to get up. Sakura dove onto him, so that she was lying on his chest again. "Where you going? Not to Ino, right?" He just stared at her blankly.

"Why is it that she has made herself at home here?"

"Because she used to stay over at my apartment all the time and since I'm here, she's here too." She said confidence she didn't know she had.

He sighed underneath her, making her blush. "Why can't you just live here without all your friends living here, too?"

"Umm, because. . . it's like a package deal. You get one of us and you get us all." she said followed by an awkward laugh.

He just stared at her for a moment. Then after an awkward moment he sighed. "Fine, but if I find Lee in my house one night, there will be hell."

She giggled and laid her head down on his shoulder, a feeling of content washing over her. They stayed like that for awhile before Sakura glanced up to see a troubled face. She contemplated what to do. "Umm, you know, I, uh, think my dad is sleeping on the couch tonight."

There was a moment's pause and then Sasuke chuckled. Sakura let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and felt Sasuke tighten his grip on her. She glanced up again and saw a better face. She smiled, now she could sleep peacefully.

- x - O - x -

Seto awoke in his room and looked around. It was early in the morning, the sun just peaking over the horizon. Seto quietly climbed out of bed and walked into Sakura's room. He hadn't spent a lot of time with her lately because she left for the weekend, and then he got sick so he spent most of the days in bed.

He climbed into the bed but didn't see her sleep there. He looked around the room and noticed that she wasn't in there. Confused, he walked down the hall and into Sasuke's room. He silently climbed onto the bed looked at his dad.

And Sakura.

Of course, he didn't think anything of it and was just happy to find her. He smiled wildly and jumped onto them. He landed on Sakura's arm and on Sasuke's chest, causing them to wake up. Sakura rolled off of Sasuke and Seto took this opportunity to get between them and cuddle with both of them. "Goooood Morning!" he said in a sing-song voice.

Sasuke smiled at him as he rubbed his eyes. "Good morning, Buddy." He said in a groggy tone.

"Good morning." Sakura said and laid a small kiss on his forehead.

After a few minutes of cuddling, Seto got bored and started bouncing around, trying to get them up. They both tiredly dragged themselves downstairs, a hyper Seto leading the way.

They had their morning's coffee while Seto drank some juice. After Sasuke was fully awake, he began to make breakfast. Sakura waited until a few minutes for waking Ino for breakfast, having her complain that they wake up too early.

Breakfast itself was uneventful. Sasuke and Ino argued about stupid things while Seto told Sakura about this crazy dream he had (involving a ninja, a pirate, talking animal and trees and a gothic princess) **(a/n: I don't know. Just sounded like fun to say)** But when they were cleaning up something did happen.

Ino and Seto sat at the table while Sasuke and Sakura cleared the table. Sasuke carried some plates over to the sink with Sakura following right behind doing the same. Sakura glanced behind her and saw that there was only one plate left on the table. "Hey, Seto, Can you grab that plate and bring it over here for me?"

"Okay, Mommy" she heard from behind her, along with the sounds of him climbing down form his chair. Sakura looked at Sasuke and found him with a shock look on his face, like the one she wore.

Seto grabbed the plate and calmly walked over to the two ninja by the sink. "Here you go, Mommy." he said, holding the plate out to her.

She stared at him for a moment before taking the plate and patting him on the head. He smiled and walked back over to the table and a shocked Ino.

Sakura looked back at Sasuke and he just stared at her calmly for a moment. "Guess he really likes you." he said putting a supporting hand on her shoulder. Suddenly Sakura felt like she was part of their small family. And she couldn't help notice that she felt happiness bubble up in her.

After the everything was cleaned up, everyone went and got dressed for the day and Ino stayed for another half hour before leaving. Ino grabbed all her stuff and put on her coat, and shoes while she chatted with Sakura some more.

"Okay, bye. See you later." Sakura said as Ino opened the door.

"Yeah, bye." she said stepping out the only to stop and step back in. "I almost forgot, I saw you last night."

Sakura looked at her strangely. _Saw me last night? What?_ she thought. But before she could ask questions Ino spoke. "Yeah, I got up to get a drink of water and noticed that the door was open. I saw everything. You holding Sasuke's hands, sitting on his lap, hovering over him, sitting on him again, then laying on him. Everything. You know, you should really close the door." she said with a smile.

Sakura just stared at her speechless. All she could do was blush and give her a shocked look.

"OK. SASUKE, I'M LEAVING! YOU CAN REJOICE THAT YOU GOT YOUR HOUSE BACK." she yelled into the house and they heard a distant 'thank god' from somewhere else in the house. She smiled and looked back at her friend. She stepped out the door and smiled, sticking her tongue out. "You know, you two would make a great couple." she said with a suggestive wink and turned around, starting home.

- x - O - x -

It was around noon when Sakura walked into the living room, a small list in her hand. Sasuke was seated on the couch reading a book while Seto played with some toys on the floor.

"Hey Sasuke. I'm going to go into town and pick up some things." she said showing him the list.

Sasuke nodded. "Okay, well I was going to run some errands so I'll come with you." He said already getting up and telling Seto what was going on.

Sakura smiled. They had never really all gone out together, like a family or even friends. She calmly walked over to the door and put her coat and shoes on. She then helped Seto put on his coat while Sasuke finished putting on the his shoes.

Sasuke and Sakura walked side by side while Seto run around in front of them, seeing as they weren't on a busy street. The two even had a pleasant conversation while they walked, talking about nothing important, just talking. But Sakura noticed that there were a lot of stares directed at them. Some of wonder and some of hatred. Sakura tried to ignore them but as they approached the market, the stares increased.

When they were closer to the market, Sasuke called Seto and he joined the two of them, instead of running around. The market was a rather filled with people, buying everything from foods to weapons. Clothes shops were farther down, in a slightly less populated area.

When they reached the crowds Sakura picked Seto up, seeing how it was to crowded for her to feel safe with him walking around. They walked for a while more, going into shops and buying things they needed.

When there was only a little more on the list Sakura brought, Sasuke and Sakura split up so that they could get more done. Sakura carried Seto into a shop and browsed though, grabbing things checking it off the list, before putting it into a small basket.. She was suddenly overwhelmed with pride when she realized that she had gotten used to doing things while holding Seto.

She was smiling brightly when she approached the cash register. She placed the basket on the counter and the cashier started to ring it up. "Mommy, can I get a piece of candy?" Seto asked as he eyed the candy shelf a few feet away. Sakura nodded and placed on the ground and watched as he ran to the shelf, keeping an eye on him.

But Sakura suddenly heard some people whispering. "Oh my God! Did hear that? He called her Mommy!" said a female voice.

"Oh I know! What the hell is that all about? She can't be the mother. Sasuke would never go near her let alone have a child with her." said another female voice.

"No, he already had the kid when he came to the village and he hadn't made contact with anyone, so it had to be some whore in another country. I just think that Sakura has gotten too attached to the Uchiha's. To bad. The Uchiha are scum and Sakura is the cherry blossom of Konoha." said a male.

Sakura looked over her shoulder and saw two woman and a male, all that used to be in the academy with her. She turned her attention back to Seto, ignoring the people around her. "Hurry, Seto"

Seto chose something quickly and ran over to Sakura and climbing into her arms before setting it on the counter to be paid for. It was then that she noticed that the cashier was avoiding looking at her and Seto.

She knew that a lot of people were mad at Sasuke but she never thought it was so bad that they were mad at a innocent little boy and people that they associated with. Sakura quickly paid and walked out of the shop. It was then that she felt the stares again. She was simply amazed that she had never noticed it before.

Sakura quickly finished up the list and met up with Sasuke. They quietly walked home, carrying their bags as Seto ran in front of them again.

"You okay Sakura?" Sasuke asked noticing her silence.

She looked up at him, feeling really upset about it all, for some reason. She didn't even know why she was upset, or why she felt tears start to sting her eyes. She looked down again and stared at her feet that slowly began to blur from her tears, swelling up in her eyes.

"Sakura?" she heard Sasuke mutter.

The next thing she knew Sasuke put his bags down and turned her so that she was facing him. He gently raised her head so they were looking at each other.

"Sakura? What's wrong? What happened?" he asked in a calm voice, but worry in his eyes.

Sakura had tried to hold it in. She had tried not to let him know that she was upset. But he still noticed and she couldn't hold it in any longer. She dropped her bags and buried her face in his shirt, her hands holding tightly to his shirt. She balled her eyes out, fully aware that they were standing in the middle of a slightly busy street. She felt people staring at them, and tried to bury herself deeper into him.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around her tightly, confused as all hell. "Sakura? What's wrong?" he whispered so only she could hear.

She sobbed some more before he heard her start to mumble. "I just don't know how you deal with all of those people staring at you."

He held her tighter as she continued to sob. He glanced around and noticed that they were being gawked at and he felt his anger raise slightly. They stood there and people continued to stare. He placed his head on Sakura's and closed her eyes, in a attempt to calm himself.

After a moment he felt a tug on his shirt. "Daddy? Why is Mommy crying?" he heard a small voice say to his right. Without opening his eyes and reached out and pulled Seto closer to them. "She's just having a bad day, Buddy."

Sakura felt small arms wrap around her bottom half. She pulled back slightly and glanced down to see that Seto was hugging her. "Well, I hope I can make it better." she heard him mutter.

Sakura smiled and pulled away from Sasuke more and pulled Seto into her arms. She held him tightly as he hugged her. "Thank you, you did make me feel better." she whispered in his ear.

After a moment, they pulled back and Sakura wiped away her tears and smiled, a weak one, but a smile none the less. Seto rested his head on her shoulder and Sakura slightly hugged Sasuke. "Thank you. I feel much better. And sorry about your shirt." she said with a smile, noticing a large wet spot on his shirt.

Sasuke just nodded and grabbed all the bags, before they continued home.

- x - O - x -

When they got home, they put away the everything while Seto played. When they were done, Sakura walked into the living room and sat on the couch. She was joined stortly after by Sasuke.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

She just smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. They sat in silence for a few minutes and then Seto jumped onto the couch, cuddling with the both of them again. Sakura smiled. "I'm good now."

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**So there you have it. This is a weird chapter. I like some parts of it but I really hate other parts. I'm kind of worried that you guys won't like it. All I can really do is hope that it meets your standards and are pleased with me.**

**So I really want to know what you think. I want to know if I should continue to do something or to fix something for the next chapter. Or if I should just totally redo this whole chapter. So please. Review.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ello, people. Sorry it took long t update. I have been trying to work on my other stories. So far, its not working out very well. lol. I have i ever told you that i get side-tracked easily. Yeah, well i do. So i will start writing, and then i will get side-tracked and get nothing done. I'm so, . . . ., so, . . . .BLAH! lol **

**- -**

Sasuke awoke the next morning in a foreign place. Sakura's bed. At first, he panicked, not remember how he got there. But then he remembered that he went in to make sure she was okay.

After she small breakdown in the street, he has been a little concerned. She seemed fine, and they had silently agreed to forget it ever happened. But, something about the whole thing unnerved him, or so he told himself. But really deep inside him he knew he was just making an excuse to be by her side.

Ever since Sakura came back from her 'girls weekend' , Sasuke has been finding himself wanting to be by her side every moment that he could. And he didn't even know why either, he just felt happier by her and he liked that feeling. And he hadn't felt this happy in a long time. Which is kind of why he was in her bed now.

He remembered now that last night he couldn't sleep and had an uneasy feeling in the pit of stomach. So in attempt to make himself feel better he went into her room. He had told her that he just wanted to make sure that she was really okay, but really he just wanted the feeling to go away. And it did, well it subsided. As he spent more time with her, she had calmed him down. But the feeling never completely left, even as they laid down to sleep.

Now Sasuke laid alone in her bed, her probably being pulled away by Seto, and the feeling was still there. And it grew when he was alone. He had been feeling it for a few days now. And when he was near Sakura, it subsided. And when he was with both Sakura and Seto, it felt like it wasn't even there anymore, even though he knew it was still there.

Sasuke sighed and pulled himself from her bed. He dragged his feet down the stairs and into the kitchen when he heard noises coming from the room. He walked in saw that Seto and Sakura were baking cookies. Sasuke smirked and walked over to the two.

He placed a small kiss on the top of Seto's head and muttered a 'good morning' to him. "Good morning. I see that you are making cookies, a lot of them." he said to Sakura with drool-worthy smirk on his face.

"Yes, We couldn't decide what kind of cookies we wanted so we had made everything we had the ingredients for. We have chocolate chip in the oven, oatmeal is cooling off, sugar cookies sitting on the table, and we're making peanut butter cookies now." she said trying to fight the blush back. He always had a way to make her fluttered with even one simply look.

Sasuke smirked again and walked over to the fridge. When he opened he looked around. "And a cheesecake?"

She just smiled at him and gave him an innocent look. "Well, Seto and I were up really early today and I just feel like cooking." he smirked. She really is an odd one.

And a horrible lair.

Sasuke smirked and walked back over to her. "This doesn't have anything to do with someone's birthday, does it?" he whispered in her ear as he stood behind her, close enough to feel her shutter slightly when he whispered in her ear. Sasuke smirked when he felt skin heat up slightly, telling him that she was blushing.

She suddenly turned around, and stood on her toes, placing her hands against his chest. "Maybe." she whispered in his ear. And Sasuke swore that his heart skipped a beat when her warm breath first met with his ear. He quickly pushed that thought away, telling himself that he was an Uchiha. Uchiha heart's don't skip a beat.

"Umm, are we interrupting something." a familiar voice said from behind them.

Sakura quickly pulled back, her face bright red, and smiled nervously. Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned to face his stupid friend, that let himself in. God, what is with everyone and just walking into their house.

"Don't be silly, Naruto. Hello, Hinata. Long time no see, huh?" Sakura said, the blush fading. She walked over to Hinata and gave her a gentle hug before swatting Naruto's hand as he reached for a cookie, causing him to whine.

Sasuke just shook his head. Naruto is quite a character. Sasuke smiled when Seto ran up to Naruto and hugged him and Hinata both. Seto had grown attached to them as well, from their frequent visits. Seto had even started to call them Uncle Naruto and Aunt Hinata, which Naruto always got a kick out off. He thought it was just hilarious that he was being called an uncle when actually Sasuke was. But Sasuke knew that he liked the idea of being part of the small family, since he didn't have a real family himself.

Seto happily chatted away, tell Naruto about this cool new toy that he had gotten. When Seto ran out to retrieve it, Sakura spoke. "Hey, Seto's birthday is tomorrow, so I was thinking that we could have a small get together tonight, have a birthday dinner. All of us, Ino, maybe Shikamaru, Tsunade, Shizune, Kakashi. You know, anyone that Seto has gotten to know, and has grown attached too."

"Yah! I'm there." Naruto shouted, resulting in a bump on the head from Sakura for shouting in her ear. Hinata smiled and said that she would come, while she held Naruto's head, rubbing the bump.

The five of them hung out for the rest of the morning before Hinata and Naruto left to run some errands, saying that they will see them in a little bit. Sakura left soon after, to invite the others to dinner and to get some things needed.

Sasuke sat in the living room, a book held lazily in his had as Seto rest in his lap, sleeping. He stared down at the words, but wasn't reading them. Instead, his mind was on what happened earlier.

Flash back

_Sasuke and Sakura stood by the door as Sakura put on her shoes, talking about what food to get for tonight. She stood up and put on her coat and opened the door to leave, but stopped. "Oh, I was thinking. Tomorrow for Seto's birthday, I thought that we could go out and do something fun, just the three of us. You know, just to celebrate him turning three as a small family. I thought it would be nice." she said with a small blush on her face._

"_Yeah, that sounds nice. He'll like that. You know this is the second birthday that he celebrated." A thoughtful look on his face._

"_Second? But this is his third birthday." she asked with a confused look on her face._

"_Yeah, well, Itachi was never around and his mother was always more interested in the many men in her life than Seto, always neglecting him. So when I took him in, he was already one and a half. When we celebrated his second birthday, it was the first time he celebrated it, and it was only me and him and a small cupcake with a candle." he said, sadness laced in his voice._

_Sakura smiled at him and grabbed his hand. "Seto is so lucky to have you as his 'father'. You did the right thing to take him in. He has a happy life now, and many people to care for him." She said then pulled him into a hug._

_They stayed like that for a moment before Sasuke pulled back a little and whispered in her ear. "He's even luckier to have you as a 'mother'. I couldn't do it by myself."_

_She smiled and pulled back. She gave him a small peck on the cheek before stepping out the door. "Sasuke, your in Konoha, now. Your never alone in anything." she said, while smiling sweetly, a blush on her face. She closed the door and left a dumbfounded Uchiha. A blushing, dumbfounded Uchiha._

End of Flashback

A small smile formed on Sasuke's face. He had a family now. It seems weird to think about, and hard for him to admit, but he even had a . . . crush? Yes lets go with that, on someone. And Seto liked her, so that's a good thing.

In all honestly, the idea freaked him out. Most of his live was spent alone, only thinking about killing his brother. Then all of a sudden, he was taking care of a child. And now, he had a crush, maybe more (no, definitely more. She somehow made her way to his heart), on Sakura. His old teammate. Man, he's changed. And it's all because of Seto.

When he first took in Seto, he was just someone to take care of. But slowly but surely, they grew attached to each other. Seto was no longer the son of his bastard brother that he _had_ to take care of. He was family, like his own son.

And by . . . . Caring? . . . No, by loving Seto, he opened up a little, dropped his barriers to protect people from getting close to him. And without those barriers, Sakura found a place in his heart. And that was scary to Sasuke, now that he thought abut it.

A part of him was telling him to pull away from her. Bad things happened to people he cared about. And he wouldn't be able to cope if something happened to her, or Seto, or even Team 7. But he found that he couldn't pull back. Another part of him telling him to let them in. And when he thought about it, the feeling that has been plaguing him for a few days let itself be known again.

Sasuke's thought's were interrupted when Naruto, once again, let himself in. "Teme! I'm back! You know, you should stop locking the door. I had to pick the lock again. Or at least get me a key. Because this is getting ridiculous!" Sasuke heard from the door as Naruto took off his shoes.

Sasuke sighed when Naruto's yelling woke Seto up. Seto looked around in a daze, confused by the yelling. Naruto walked into the living room and join them on the opposite side of the couch. Seto stared at him for a moment before it clicked, and he knew that Naruto was just being himself and that the yelling was nothing. Seto rolled his eyes and laid back down, intent on going back to sleep.

Naruto gave the boy a confused look. Sasuke sighed again and explained it to him. Naruto thought for a moment before rubbing the back of his head and giving a sheepish grin, muttering a 'oh'.

"I'm home!"

"Hey Sakura!" Naruto yelled back. The two boys turned their head to the entryway to the living room and a moment later Sakura and Ino appeared, both carrying a bag of food.

"Oh great. You brought Ino." Sasuke muttered loud enough for her to hear. Ino glared for moment before giving him a evil grin. "Yup. And I brought my sleepover bag so I'll be staying over tonight."

Now there are very few moment when a Uchiha will want to bang his head against the closest thing. And it is _extremely _rare to witness this moment. In Sasuke's desperation, the closest thing was the book in his hand, a hard cover. Of course, this made Ino and Naruto crack up. For a good five minutes.

Sasuke sighed and got up, without waking up Seto, and took the food Ino was holding and helped Sakura in the kitchen, leaving the two blondes to laugh. Sakura and Sasuke worked quietly, preparing the food. Sakura tried to start up a conversation but Sasuke only responded with a 'hn', when he even responded.

Sakura watched him prepare the food, but he was in a sort of daze, like he had something important on his mind. "Um, is there something wrong?" she asked in a worried tone. Except Sasuke didn't even register that she said anything, just continued what he was doing.

Sakura reached out and lightly tugged on Sasuke's sleeve. He looked at her in a confused manner, studying the worried look in her eyes. "Is there something wrong, Sasuke?"

He was silent for a moment, just staring at the ground. His lack of responds worried Sakura even more and she tugged again on his sleeve. He looked at her again and she gave him a pleading look. They stared at each other for a moment more before Sasuke spoke. "Nothing. I'm fine."

And just like that, he continued what he was going, acting as if nothing had happened at all. Sakura stared at him in disbelief for a moment before she continued working, all the while still worrying.

xOx

When dinner was almost ready people started to show up, resulting in a very happy Seto. Sasuke was in the kitchen finishing the food, talking to Naruto, Shikamaru, and Kakashi (They told him to come at four o'clock, when dinner was actually at seven. They didn't want him to be late.) Sakura sat on the couch with Seto on her lap while she talked to Ino and Hinata, waiting for the food to finish and for Tsunade and Shizune to arrive.

"Hey, do you think Sasuke has changed?" Sakura asked, Seto not paying attention to the conversation at all, to busy play with a toy.

"What do you mean, billboard brow?"

"I mean, do you think that he has opened up." She said, ignoring the nickname her 'dear old friend' gave her.

"Well, he seemed pretty open with you this morning." Hinata mocked, causing Sakura to blush and for Ino to give her a questioning look. Hinata noticed the look and explained. "Well, this morning Naruto and I dropped by. And of course, Naruto being Naruto, let himself in. We walked into the kitchen and saw Sasuke with his arms around Sakura and Sakura whispering something in his ear. And Sakura had a mischievous smile on her face while she was in his grip."

Ino made a fake shocked look and slowly turned her attention to the blushing Sakura, looking down. She then gave her a fake suspicious look before laughing. "Well, that's nothing to my story." She said after a moment.

Sakura eyes quickly shot to met Ino's. "Ino, don't." she warned, but she knew it was useless. When Ino is set to do something, she is going to do it, no matter what anyone says.

Ino just grinned at her before turning to Hinata. "Well, I saw them in Sasuke's room when I spent the night once. Sakura was holding his hand, sitting on his lap, then laying on him. She slept cuddled up with him that night."

Hinata looked at Sakura, blushing deep red, with a shocked face. She trusted Hinata knowing this, it's just someone could get the wrong idea after hearing that.

There was silence for a moment, Ino with a mischievous grin plastered to her face, Hinata staring in shock, and Sakura blushing madly, looking at the ground. Ino looked at Seto, looking at them strangely, wondering why everyone was silent.

"Hey, Seto, why don't you go and bug your father. Tell him that Aunt Ino is hungry and demand that he hurry with the food." Seto smiled and nodded vigorously, before jumping off Sakura's lap.

When he was out of the room, Ino looked Sakura in the eyes, a seriousness in her face that freaked Sakura out. "Sakura, Hun. We love you. So it is out of love when I ask you this. Have you slept with him?"

"WHAT? NO! WHY WOULD YOU ASK ME THAT?" Sakura screamed.

(Meanwhile in the kitchen with the boys, the boys stopped what they were doing and listened. When they didn't hear any weird noises, like a crash or the sound of someone being choked, they all exchanged glances. Kakashi then raised his free hand, the other holding his book, and mumbled something along the lines of, 'I don't want to know' before they all continued what they were doing. Which meant Sasuke went back to cooking and ignoring the Dope's stupid comments. Shikamaru went back to lazily, sitting on the counter, watching Sasuke cook. And Naruto went back to annoying everyone in the room, including Seto who was helping Sasuke, while Kakashi continued to read.)

Ino gave a sheepish grin and tried to calm the girl in front of her. "We just want to make sure that he doesn't hurt you. Because I noticed that he was rather cold to you when you two were cooking. I mean, he was just all 'lovey dovey' with you the last time I saw you. I just wanted to know if he just got what he wanted from you then pushed you away. 'Cause then I would have to kick his sorry ass."

Sakura looked at the two girls in front of her and smiled sweetly. They both had on the same look, a caring/worried look. It was moments like these that she was glad she had them as friends. "Thanks for your concern. It means a lot. But no, I haven't slept with him."

Sakura watched as relief washed over there face then confusion. "But if he didn't use you, then why is all cold all of a sudden?"

"Well, I did kiss him this morning." Sakura remembered.

"YOU WHAT!?" Ino screamed. (Again, the boys stopped, listened, then continued.)

"What? It was a small peck on the cheek. I was walking out the door, and he said something kind of sad, and I gave him a confronting/goodbye peck. Do you think it freaked him out?"

The girls looked at each other. Sasuke didn't have a good history with people getting close to him. "It might have." Hinata said more to herself then to anyone else.

Sakura looked down, sadness and worry on her face. But before anything else could happen, there was a knock on the door. Sakura pushed away all her thoughts and started for the door. Seto came charging through the kitchen door and raced to the door. He stood and waited for Sakura to open the door, because he wasn't quite tall enough.

Sakura smiled when he noticed him jumping up and down, excitedly. Sakura opened the door and greeted Tsunade and Shizune. She allowed them in and before they could take off their shoes and coats, Seto jumped into their arms.

After they entered the house they quickly went into the kitchen to greet the others, Sakura following to put the gifts that they brought with the others. Sakura calmly put the gifts in place then started back to the living room.

"Oh Sakura, before I forget. I would like to see you back at work on Friday." Tsunade said then turned to Sasuke. "And I would like to see you Friday morning in my office to discuss your punishment."

Sakura looked at her in shock. "Punishment? Why now?"

Tsunade turned back to her calmly, almost nonchalantly. "Yes, I thought I would give you three some time to adjust here, before I send you back to work and give his punishment. But don't worry, I think I'll be able to go easy on him, probably just probation. But enough talk about this. We are here to party!"

"Yes, but remember this is a three-year-old's party." Kakashi said with a grin.

**(I was actually going to end it here. But, I like you guys so I continued. Lol)**

Dinner progressed uneventfully. Everyone gathered around the table chatting away and having fun, enjoying the food. Kakashi even took off this mask to eat, shocking everyone. The whole dinner was fun and had everyone laughing the whole time. Except Sasuke.

He sat there and quietly ate his food. People tried to bring him into the conversation but Sasuke was Sasuke and was able to avoid the conversations. The only person that he paid any attention to was Seto. It was like he withdrew himself from everyone except Seto.

After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room while Seto opened presents. Sakura noticed that Sasuke stood in the doorway by himself, while everyone was by the chairs. Sakura quietly stood up and walked over to the doorway, and stood with him.

"Hey." she quietly muttered, as she leaned against the wall.

"Hn" he said with a slight head nod to acknowledge her. Sakura just stared at the floor, confused.

"Is there anything wrong?" she whispered

"Hn."

Sakura sighed. She straightened herself up and Sasuke expected for her to go back and join the others. Instead, she gently grabbed his sleeve and pulled lightly, toward the hallway. When he didn't budge, Sakura used her superhuman strength and pulled him forcefully into the hallway, where they were free to talk without people watching.

"Sasuke, why are you acting this way? Is it because of the peck I gave you?" she said seriously, with worry laced in her voice.

"Acting what way?" he said bluntly.

"This way! Your acting cold suddenly! What's wrong? Did I do something?" she said raising her voice.

"No, nothing's wrong. I'm fine. I'm not acting differently."

"Sasuke!" she said loudly so that she wasn't quite yelling yet. But she could feel her anger rising and she was going to be yelling soon. Why did he have to be so difficult?

"What?"

"What!? Your acting like a complete jerk! Just talk to me! Please! If this is about the kiss, I'm sorry! I didn't think you were going to react like this!" said yelled.

Sasuke said nothing to this. He just stared down at their feet, suddenly becoming aware of the silence in the house.

"It was about the kiss, wasn't it?!" she yelled again.

"What?! No, well, umm. . . kind of." he said completely forgetting his pervious thoughts.

"MAKE UP YOUR MIND!" she screamed, only to receive more silence.

"SASUKE, ANSWER ME!" she screamed again getting frustrated with him.

"What do you want from me?! Do you want me to just break down and spill my guts to you?! Do you want me to tell you everything that has ever happened to me?! To just break down and cry so that you can hold me tight, pat my head, and tell me that everything is going to be alright?!" he yelled back, becoming frustrated as well.

"NO, I WANT YOU TO JUST TALK TO ME! TELL ME WHAT IS BOTHERING YOU INSTEAD OF PULLING AWAY AND ACTING LIKE A COMPLETE JERK!"

"You want to know what is bothering me?!"

"YES!"

"Fine! I'm panicking! Bad things always happen when I get close to people! Always! So I pull away from people so they won't get hurt! But it hurts so much for me to pull away from you! And I find myself wanting to let you in but I-I just can't."

"Why?!" she yelled back.

"I. . ." he said looking down at the ground. He actually never thought about it. He just knew he couldn't. There was something in him that didn't allow him to let anyone in. Suddenly Sasuke felt the feeling in his stomach grow. The feeling that has been haunting him. And he knew what it was. Fear.

"Sasuke?" she whispered, causing Sasuke to look up at her and stare into her eyes, that were filled with worry.

He was afraid to let her in, because he didn't want to lose her and feel the pain. But he couldn't live in fear. It was no way to live.

Sasuke broke the eye contact by looking to the side. Sakura looked down, scolding herself for letting herself get lost in his eyes while they were in the middle of a fight. The next thing she knew she was in a strong embrace.

"I was afraid. I was afraid that if I let you in, then I'll lose you. And that is my deepest fear, losing someone else that I care about. I'm sorry." she heard whispered into her ear. She let the words sink in before she returned the embrace, clutching tightly to his shirt.

They stayed like that for a moment, before loosened their grip on each other and pulled back slightly. Sasuke's hands rested on her waist, while hers rest on his chest as they looked into each others eyes.

Then like the other time they were like this, Sakura felt herself begin to raise up. At first, their lips gently brushed each other. But as the time passed, their kiss deepened. Sakura moved her arms up and wrapped them around his neck, while he pushed their bodies closer together.

They stayed like that for some time before they broke the kiss, pulling air into their lungs. Once they had air Sasuke kissed her again, this time rougher. Sakura eagerly responded, running her hand through his spikes. Sasuke tried to push their bodies even closer together but only managed to push them against the wall, causing a thump and for everyone in the other room who were listening to the fight to jump.

Everyone in the other room glanced around, wondering if they should go and check on them, fearing that they had started to hit each other. They were just watching Seto open presents when they suddenly heard Sakura start yelling. Then shortly after, Sasuke was heard. By this point, everyone was completely silent, listening to the fight. Hinata pulled Seto into her arms as she could tell that he was upset that has 'mommy and daddy' were fighting.

Finally they silently agreed to check on them and Ino slowly stood and walked to the doorway. She glanced out and looked to one side first. After seeing nothing there he looked to the other side and just froze. She stood paralyzed for a moment before a shocked look came to her face and see brought her hand up to cover her now open mouth, and just stared.

Sakura soon felt start to rub his tongue along her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She willing opening after a moment and she felt Sasuke came in and roamed her mouth. Soon Sasuke even tilted his head, trying to gain more access while his hand slowly climbed from her waist to her back, pulling her closer.

Everyone watched as Ino froze up and they feared the worst. Carefully Naruto stood and walked slowly over to Ino. He put a hand on her shoulder and she jumped, turning to look at him. He gave her a strange look and was about to look into the hall, when Ino pushed back into the room. He, of course, lost his balance and fell on his butt, making a loud thump, which was heard though-out the quiet house.

Sasuke and Sakura pulled back and looked around, wondering what the noise was. Fortunately, Ino was already back into the living room, so they didn't see her standing there. "Ino, what was that all about?!" they heard shortly after and they sighed. They should have know they were the cause of the noise.

They looked back at each other, both blushing. Sakura smiled nervously and Sasuke chuckled. After they straightened themselves out, they went to check out the noise, but not before one last small kiss, while they were alone.

The two walked back into the room and stared at the scene before them. Naruto was sitting on the floor, pointing a finger at Ino and yelling. Ino just stood there looking rather unfazed by his rantings, while everyone else sat in the same places as before and just stared in confusion, completely silent.

Seto suddenly wiggled out of Hinata's grip and jumped into Sasuke's arms. Seto smuggled into his chest while muttering things about mommy and daddy fighting. Sasuke smiled sadly and whispered that everything was good now and that he was sorry for worrying him.

They stayed like that for a moment while Sakura just watched the two, smiling. She then walked over and put a reassuring hand on Seto's back. Soon, Seto climbed into her arms and she held him tightly, all the while everyone watching, except Naruto was still yelling.

Sasuke sighed. "Dope. Shut up."

"What?! She pushed me!" he said pointing at Ino, who rolled her eyes. She then walked over to Sakura and whisper to her. "You so owe me. You and Price Charming, both."

Sakura looked at her and Ino gave a knowing look, causing Sakura to blush.

**Bam! Done! Yeah! I'm done with this chapter. I'm proud of myself! Well, not really. The only part I really like about this chapter is that everyone was eavesdropping on the fight. But the rest was just, blah, in my opinion.**

**So tell me if you liked it. Was it funny? I tried to make it a little funny. And I think it was the longest chapter yet, lol. So yeah, please, Review.**

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

**Ello people! Thanks for the reviews! And you will be proud that I think I have a basic idea for the story. It's not all the way up there to be called a plot, but I can get it there, lol. I had actually been toying with the idea for a while, trying to tie up lose ends in the story, but I hadn't really knew if I should do it. But I figure since it is my story, I might as well try it and if I don't like it I can rewrite it when I'm done, **

**right?**

**And I would like to thank **alayneni** for their part in putting a certain idea in my head. Lol. Really, thank you to anyone else who reviewed. It means the world to me.**

**- -**

Sakura contently sighed in her office at the hospital. It has been about a month since Seto's party and their kiss. Since then, she had started working at the hospital again, Sasuke has started his probation, and Seto was put into a daycare, to socialize him.

Being back at work, was a little weird at first. Like on her first day, she spent the whole day missing the Uchihas being by her side. She had came home that day completely exhausted and flung herself into the arms of the two Uchihas. But after her first week back she had gotten used to being back.

Sasuke's punishment has started and it was easy. He was on probation for a year, meaning that he will not be able to go on missions, and other such things, and he will have frequent visits from ANBU, checking up on him. Then after the year, he will go in front of the Hokage and the council and they will decide if additional punishment is necessary. Which, she doubts because he is more concerned with raising Seto than betraying the village. But the council never did like Sasuke, so you never know.

And after some careful consideration between 'mommy and daddy' they decided to enter Seto into daycare. Sakura thought it was very important that they socialize him, seeing as he was always playing by himself or with adults. He needs friends his age to play with. But of course, Sasuke was a little hesitant about it. He feared that the other kids might treat him badly because he was the 'son of the traitor'. Sure the kids didn't care who he was but the parents did and the kids would always listen to there parents.

But after a lot of debates, Sasuke agreed to try it out. And so far, nothing has happened and Seto has made many friends. The only thing that happens is when they go to pick him up, they get hateful stares from the other parents, which always go ignored.

Everything is moving forward. Including Sasuke and Sakura's relationship. Since the day of their kiss (coughmakeoutsessioncough) they had been unofficially dating. They hadn't really had the conversation about it but really they didn't need to. They were there for each other, and that was all they needed.

And since that day there have been frequent kisses (and make-out sessions), hugs, flirting, cuddling and even some dates, as Sakura calls them. When Seto is sleeping or after dinner when Ino and Seto are hanging out they will sneak off and go for walks, or sometimes bringing Seto. Usually they just walk hand in hand, having pleasant conversations as they stroll through the Konoha streets. Or sometimes they will go out for ice cream (mostly when they are with Seto), or walk to the flower field and stare at the stars for a little. Lately, its just been pure bliss.

Sakura sighed again, this time sadly as she stared at the small stack of paper work a nurse just set on her desk. She had already finished all the paperwork that had filled her desk space, causing her to do them if she wanted to ever find her desk again, and was about to go home really early, seeing as it was a slow day. Sakura looked over the papers. It shouldn't take long, probably still be able to go home early if she started now.

xOx

Sasuke finished wrapping up his forearms as he sat on his bed, towel hanging on his head, shirtless, getting dressed after his shower. He has woken up early with Sakura. They spent sometime together before Seto awoke and they all had breakfast together. Sakura left for work soon after. Sasuke then got Seto ready for daycare and when it was time, he dropped him off. He then came back home and trained in the backyard for the rest of the day, before getting in the shower and then would head out for lunch with Naruto, like he did everyday.

Sasuke sighed when he heard a loud, impatient knock on the door, thinking it was Naruto, starving. He took the towel draped over his head and rubbed it in his hair, trying to get as much water out of it as he could, as he made his way to the door, hearing another knock.

He reached the door, muttering something along the lines of 'calm down dope' before opening the door. But instead of being greeted with Naruto yelling at him, he was greeted with a familiar face that he didn't want to see. "Finally, took you long enough." said a female with a sickly sweet voice that he had grown to hate so much. Before he could do anything, she pushed her way through and walked into the living room, not bothering to take off her five inch heels and coat.

Sasuke stood there for a moment, wishing that he imaged her. But life was very cruel to him. "Sasuke, I'm waiting." he heard from the living room. He sighed and closed the door.

He walked into the living room and found her stretched out on the couch, looking rather comfy. She smiled at him. "Well, long tome no see, huh? How is my little Sas-cakes?" she said, her smile growing when she saw him glare at her for the nickname.

"What do you want?" he said bluntly.

She smiled faded from her face and she pouted, but her eyes said that she was still happy and amused. "Gee, Sas-cakes, you are so mean. I'm fine, thank you for asking." he just stared at her, waiting for her answer.

She smiled again, eyeing him up and down. She stood up and strutted over to him. She placed her hands on his bare chest slid them down and traced his abs. "My, how you have grown." she purred., causing him to glare at her. His grabbed her wrist, preventing her from going down any further like he had known she would have. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

She smiled again and pulled out of his grip. She walked passed him, pulling the towel off his head in the process and threw it off to the side. She then took off her knee length black coat, revealing a very short shirt, almost like she wasn't wearing one and a see-through belly shirt with a black bra under. "Oh you are so uptight. I just wanting to know how big you are." she said with a fake innocent smile.

Sasuke just sighed and walked over to the couch, suddenly becoming very tired. He swears, this girl is just too much to handle. But he tried again. "What are you doing here?"

She looked at him and smiled. "I'm just visiting. You know, it's not nice for you to just move all of a sudden. Some kind of warning would be nice. I went all the way to the sound village to visit you and you weren't even there. Let me tell you, I heard Orochimaru is not happy that you left, and took Seto, too. I heard that he was pissed that not only did he lose his next vessel, but he also lost a future vessels, as well."

"And your okay with that? Seto becoming Orochimaru's future vessel."

"Well, I knew that you are taking good care of him, so why should I care."

Sasuke just sighed. Yup, she was too much to handle.

xOx

Sakura glanced at her watch, again. She usually worked longer and would pick up Seto from daycare on the way home from work. But since she got off work early she just headed home. She put the key in the door and unlocked it and stepped in. But before she yelled her 'I'm home' like always, she stopped and heard voices.

She listened to the conversation quietly as she took off her coat and then her shoes. _Huh? That's weird. There are no shoes by the door but I hear voices. _she thought. Once she was done with her shoes she just placed her bags by the door and walked to the voices. She stood in the doorway of the living room and stared in.

Inside the room, Sasuke was sitting on the couch, shirtless staring at the woman. The woman was a tiny little thing, like the same size as herself. But was wearing revealing clothes and heels that made her legs look longer and added to her height. She had shiny black hair that came down to her mid-back and from what Sakura could see, she had these intense gray eyes. This woman was strikingly beautiful but looked like a whore.

Sakura just stared, not knowing what else to do. She felt frozen and jealous, even though she trusted Sasuke.

"Well, I knew that you are taking good care of him, so why should I care." the woman said in a sweet voice and Sakura felt her jealous spike up.

Sasuke just sighed, closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, trying to fight the headache that was forming. "How long are you here for?"

He suddenly felt hands rest on his and start rubbing his temples. "I'm leaving tonight." she purred. Sasuke kept his eyes close, not wanting to see her. He suddenly felt something on his lap and he finally opened his eyes.

He was greeted with the woman straddling him, but she wasn't putting any weight on him, as she rubbed his temples. He stared at her in a bored manner "What are you doing?"

"I'm rubbing your temples, silly."

Sakura continued to watch, her jealous spiking once again then being replaced by betrayal. They hadn't done anything yet but Sakura just couldn't help but feel like he was betraying her. And I mean, who wouldn't feel this way. She watched as some whore straddled her boyfriend.

"Well, your not helping." he said, trying to block out the disgusted feeling he was getting with her on top on him.

He suddenly felt her stop rubbing his temples. Instead he felt her drag her hand down along his face and rest at the base of his neck. He looked at her face and she had a mischievous look on it. "Hmm, I wonder which one of you is better in bed." she purred before suddenly resting all of weight on him and pushing her core against his bare stomach.

Now, knowing that she was straddling him was disgusting, but feeling her on him and her pushed against his stomach, allowing him to know that she wasn't wearing underwear and she was wet, truly disgusted him. Plus, the comment that she just made, made him want to throw up.

Sasuke grabbed her hips and was very happy that she was a small woman. In one swift movement, he picked her up and tossed her to the side (making her yelp), before he jumped up from the couch.

"Sasuke!" she yelled.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Your lucky that I haven't ate lunch yet or I might have thrown up!" he yelled back before grabbing the towel that was on his head minutes ago and started cleaning off his stomach, mumbling something about needing another shower.

The woman pouted on the couch staring at him. "You know your brother never freaked out and rejected me like that."

"Yet another difference between us." he said bluntly.

Sakura stared, her jealously gone. But she didn't know if she should still feel betrayed or happy that he rejected her. And what was this about his brother?

"Why are you here?" Sakura heard Sasuke ask, tearing her from her thoughts.

"I came here to drop something off." she happily said, like she suddenly forgot about what just happened.

"Drop something off?" Sasuke asked as he raised an eyebrow.

She stared at him in wonder before leaning forward and narrowed her eyes in an investigative manner. "Whoa, your eyebrows are like, prefect!" she exclaimed, causing Sakura to sweat drop.

"What!? Not the point!" Sasuke yelled.

She smiled innocently and mumbled a 'my bad'. Sasuke just stared at her, waiting for the answer. She sighed. "Fine. I ran into your brother again awhile back. He has been very busy doing Akatsuki business, but I got to spend some time with him. At first, he was angry that Seto wasn't with me but he was happy when I said that you were taking care of him for me. You know, he trusts you very much?"

"Get on with it." Sasuke said, not liking where this was going. Anything involving his brother and her usually were bad.

"Fine. Anyways, we spent some time together and he left again. And what do you know, I ended up pregnant, again. And that is why I am here." she said with a sweet smile.

"Your going to leave your kid with me, right?"

"Ding Ding! Now tell him what he has won!" she exclaimed, while waving her hands in the air.

Sasuke just sighed and ran a hand through his still damp hair, ignoring the comment about how he looks extremely sexy when he does that. "Why is it that a eighteen year old has to take care of a twenty-three year old and a twenty-two year old's children?"

"Because, Sas-cakes, life is unfair."

Sakura quietly got out of the doorway and stood in the hall, leaning against the wall listening. But she felt guilty for eavesdropping. This sounded like a family type of conversation, and she was listening to it. She silently wondered if she should pretend to walk in. After a moment she decided.

She put on a strong face and walked into the room. As soon as she walked in, their attention was turned onto her. She smiled sweetly. "Hey, I heard voices. What's going on?"

When Sasuke saw Sakura, he panicked. He quickly looked at the clock and saw that daycare wasn't over. As soon as he knew that Seto wasn't home then he relaxed. "Sakura, your home early?"

"Yeah, it was a really slow day at the hospital. So I came home early." she said while nodding her head.

"Home? Wait, she lives here? Like a live-in-girlfriend?" the woman said with a confused look on her face.

Sakura looked at her and smiled. "Hello, my name is Sakura."

Suddenly the woman jumped up and ran toward Sakura. "Hello! My name is Akina! Are you Sas-cakes girlfriend?" she said grabbing her arms and shaking her.

"Akina! Leave her alone! We are still not done talking!" Sasuke yelled while prying her hands off of Sakura. She looked at Sasuke and pouted.. Sakura just stared in shock at this crazy woman.

Sasuke sighed and turned to Sakura. "This is Seto's mother. As you can see, she crazy." he said, causing the woman to whine. Sasuke sighed and yelled at her to shut up(which she ignored) and rubbed his temples.

Now it was Sakura's turn to sigh. She walked up to Sasuke and rubbed his temples for him. He didn't fight back or comment about it like he did for Akina, causing her to stop her whining and stare. Sasuke wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer; completely forgetting Akina was there for a moment.

Sakura gave up on rubbing his temples and instead allowed her green chakra to get rid of his headache. Sasuke smiled and dipped his head down and kissed her. "Thank you." he whispered into her ear before planted a feather-light kiss on her earlobe, causing her to giggle.

"Whoa. . . ."they heard from across the room and they turned to see Akina staring wide-eyed and her mouth slightly open. "I'm so telling your brother."

Sakura was quick to react as she grabbed on to Sasuke's hand as he tried to lunge at the woman, preventing him from getting very far. Akina quickly jumped up and dove behind the couch, trying to get something more than air between them.

After a lot of verbal attacks, whimpering, and Sakura having to use her strength, she got the situation under control. Sasuke sat in one of the armchairs while Akina sat on the farthest end of the couch, while Sakura sat in between.

"Teme! You are so late! I waited for you to show up and everything! And what you do? You just stood me up! You owe me big time and you better have a good excuse!" they suddenly heard from the door, coming closer. Sasuke sighed, he forgot about Naruto. Sakura also sighed. She had locked the door, so that means he picked the lock again. They really needed to get him a key.

Naruto marched in and pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke, yelling about missing lunch. Sasuke just stared at him unfazed. "Later, Dope. Right now, I'm kind of dealing with a 'family issue'."

Naruto stared at him for a moment, suddenly filled with worry. The words 'Sasuke' and 'family issue' in the same sentence is never good. When Sasuke turned back to Akina, Naruto took the hint and looked at her, causing him to stare wide-eyed at her "Whoa ."

Akina smiled her best smile at him. "Hi my name is Akina." she purred and was about to get up when Sasuke spoke. "Don't even think about." he warned, causing her to pout.

Naruto sat on the back of the couch, while Akina complained to Sasuke about not letting her have fun. Naruto turned to Sakura and gave her a questioning look, so Sakura explained everything from when she walked into the room. Naruto nodded his head and listened to the two argue, not really knowing what was going on because he didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle.

"Fine! I'll take the kid!" Sasuke yelled after a few more minutes of arguing. Really he had no choice. Who knew what Akina would do with the kid, she isn't the parenting type.

"Yah!"

"Where is the kid, anyways?" asked after realizing she didn't bring the kid in.

"Oh, I ran into an old friend and we are been traveling together. You remember Natsumi, right?" she said and waited for an answer. Sasuke thought back and recalled a girl that used to cling to him every time she saw him and was friends with Akina. He made a sour face and nodded. "Yeah, well she said that she wanted to explore Konoha for a bit so she took the kid and she will meet us here. She should be here any moment."

They waited for about fifteen minutes, filled with more arguing, flirting, and yelling, before they heard a knock on the door. Naruto, being the closest to the door, went to open the door. As soon as he opened it a woman rushed and walked into the living room, also forgetting to take off her coat and shoes.

She walked straight to Akina and partially threw a bundle into her arms, complaining about it being cold. Seconds later, she took off her coat, revealing a short skirt, longer than Akina's of course but still extremely short, and a revealing tight shirt that clung to her body with a v-neck that went down to her navel. Also she was wearing black knee-high boots, that Sakura found quiet cute, but would wear it with a longer shirt so that she didn't look sluty. She had deep brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair. All in all, she was very pretty, but dressed like a slut.

"Natsumi, that's Naruto, this is Sakura, and of course, you know Sasuke." Akina said as she struggled to hold the bundle.

Natsumi looked at Naruto and Sakura before she looked at Sasuke and flew over to him and jumped into his lap, causing him to grunt . "Oops, sorry about that. I haven't seen you in awhile." she said. Sasuke just glared at her before telling her to get up.

But of course she didn't. "You know, if we were to get together then I would be related to Akina, since she is with Itachi." she said before turning to Akina. "We'll have the Uchiha brothers!" She said as Akina smiled before continuing to struggle with the bundle.

Sakura stared at the girl in Sasuke's lap, feeling her jealous rising again. Sasuke sighed and as gently as he could(not really), pushed her off of him. He then walked over and stood next to Naruto, behind Sakura. "Look, how long do you two plan on staying, because I would rather you be gone when Seto comes home."

"Oh, that's right. Where is the little guy anyways?" Akina asked.

"We decided to put him in daycare." Sakura said.

Akina studied her for a moment. "We?" she said.

"Sakura and I did." Sasuke said bluntly, having a feeling he wasn't going to like what came out of her month next.

"Well I don't know how I feel about some girl I don't know taking care of my kid, like making decisions like that." she said matter-of-factly.

"Excuse me." Sakura said shocked.

"What!" Sasuke yelled.

Akina just stared innocently at them. "What? I mean no harm, but I just don't know if I like that a girl I don't know is taking care of my kid. I don't really care if she is your girlfriend or not. I don't trust her. My kids are special. They're Uchihas." she said, causing Sakura to just sit there silently, while Sasuke stared in shock, ignoring Natsumi shocked and angry comments about him having a girlfriend.

"Coming from you, who was never around for him, it means a lot!" Sasuke yelled back after a moment.

And of course this comment caused more fighting. Sasuke and Akina argued while Sakura just sat there and watched, feeling hurt. Natsumi went into the kitchen and calmed down the baby that started to fuss because of the yelling, while Naruto went to go pick up Seto from daycare.

The fighting continued for awhile longer until they heard a small voice screaming. "MOMMY!" Everyone in the room stopped while Seto ran in with his arms spread, ready for a hug. Akina smiled sweetly and was about to open her arms as well, when he ran passed her. She watched him fling himself into Sakura's arms and hug her tightly.

"Mommy! Why did Uncle Naruto pick me up today?" he asked when they pulled back, now just sitting on her lap.

"Well, Uncle Naruto was over and he said that he wanted to."

"Oh, well I missed you!" he said and gave her a kiss before he saw Sasuke standing behind her. "Daddy!" Sasuke smiled and picked him up, and hugged him. When they pulled back, Seto told him about his day, Sasuke smiling the whole time.

When he was done talking about his day he turned and looked at Akina. She smiled sweetly and when a big happy smile crossed his face. "Hi! My name is Seto Uchiha! I love meeting new people! I used to hate it but now I love it!" he exclaimed.

There was a silence in the room afterward, as the words sank in. "My name is Akina." she said after a moment. Seto smiled at her for a moment before turning to Sakura. "Mommy, I'm hungry."

Sakura smiled at him before getting up. "Then lets get you something to eat." she said as she pulled him into her arms, and retreated into the kitchen.

They stood in silence for a moment, even Naruto not sure what to say. Finally after a few more minutes Akina spoke. "NATSUMI!" she screamed.

Natsumi came into the room and looked at her. Akina walked over to her and took the bundle away from her. She then marched over to Sasuke and pushed it into his arms. "It doesn't have a name yet. I've just been calling it kid. It'll be two months in three days. Oh and your brother doesn't know about it, yet."

She then walked over to her coat and put it on, Natsumi doing the same. After they were ready she turned to Naruto and said goodbye, before turning to Sasuke. "Walk me to the door."

Sasuke walked over to Naruto and handed him the bundle. Naruto nervously held it for a moment before sitting down. Sasuke shook his head and headed for the door.

Natsumi was already standing outside while Akina was waiting for Sasuke. Natsumi saw him and waved seductively, which he ignored. Akina looked at him and gave him a hug, which caused him to tense up. She pulled back smiled at him. She stepped out the door and looked him in the eyes. "I just need to do some stuff. But I'll be back soon. I'm not going to let that girl steal another one of my kids." And with that, she just walked away.

**Well what do you think? I read that review yesterday and it just got me thinking. I actually went to bed and dreamed all of this. And then my sister woke me and told me that her and mom were leaving. Yeah. So I just typed it up. Sorry if it seems rushed. I wanted to get everything down before I forgot it.**

**So, the baby? I have no clue what to do because it was very random. So should it be a boy or a girl? And names. I need names because I suck with names, as you can tell. I literally just went on Google and looked up 'best Japanese girl names'. I then just picked a random link and picked a random name from the list for Akina and Natsumi. Lol**

**Now that I think about it, I'm really nervous about how guys will react to this sudden twist. I mean, two kids all of a sudden! Oh boy! Please, tell me if I should keep this chapter or just get rid of it.**


	11. Chapter 11

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Hello. Sorry for the late update. I was hopeing to get it up before i went on vacation, but well that didn't work out as nicely as i planned. Well, i feel really bad for making you guys wait until i got back. Well anywho, thanks to all that have reviewed, and gave me ideas. So i'm going to shut up now so you can read the chapter. I will then talk more later, at the end of the chapter. Yupper. Hmm. . . .i wonder if people actually read this. I mean i even zone myself out when i talk and i tend to zone out when i type and end up writing anything that goes through my silly little head. And sure, none of of it usually makes sense. And then when i go back and reread, i'm like, 'what the hell? what the hell is wrong with me?' lol sorry, i'm rambling. I tend to rant about random things with out meaning too. lol sorry, ignore most of this note. I was just thinking out loud, or something like that cause you can't hear me say all of this but it's just my jumbled thoughts written down. Umm. . . i confused myself. Anywho, yeah, enjoy.

* * *

Sasuke sighed as he stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter. Akina had some nerve. Not only was she, once again, trying to sleep with him (Little hoe!), she just sudden drops a bomb on him that, hello; he is the uncle to another child!

He silently listened to the others in the living room. Ino had arrived shortly after Akina left and has been clinging to the baby ever since. But she can't hold the baby because for some reason, it cried every time. (Although he would cry to if he was a baby and Ino was trying to hold him.)

Sasuke mentally scolded himself then corrected his last thought. _She_, not _it_, cried every time Ino tried to hold _her_. It was just weird, after hearing Akina call her it, he unconsciously started to call her that.

Sasuke listened again to the others. From the sounds of it Sakura was currently holding the baby. He could tell because the baby was completely silent. Whenever someone holds her, she would get fussy. But she was perfectly content when Sakura held her.

Sasuke sighed again, he had gone into the kitchen to 'get a drink' but deep down he knew he was hiding. He was never much of a baby person. They kind of freaked him out. He had never even held Seto until her was older. And when he was in the living room with the others, they were silently passing her around. He was sitting next to Naruto and Sakura handed him the baby.

Naruto did surprisingly well with her. He needed help holding her correctly at first but quickly got the hang of it. She was a very fussy at first but Naruto calmed her down rather quickly, only being a little fussy.

Sasuke stuck around to see how Naruto did with her. But after realizing that he was next, he excused himself, saying that he was thirsty. And that is how he ended up in the kitchen all alone, holding an empty cup (that he never filled up).

He dully thought that he should try to think of names for her, because 'kid' wasn't going to cut it. Sasuke sighed again. It was so much easier when he first took in Seto. He was older, and didn't need to be held as much as she did. Plus Akina had already named him. Well, actually Itachi did.

Flashback

_Sasuke was on a mission for Orochimaru, but somehow found himself being dragged by Natsumi into a small town outside of the sound village. And even worse, he somehow found himself being dragged into an inn and trapped in a room with a very pregnant Akins, giving birth, and a very annoying Natsumi._

_Sasuke leaned against the wall behind Akina, not wanting to see anything that he didn't need to see, as she screamed and held onto Natsumi's hand. Sasuke closed his eyes and listened to screams, some confronting words from Natsumi and the local doctor's commands to push._

_He kept his eyes closed, a bored expression on his face, until it was over and he heard the sound of a door opening and footsteps. He opened his eyes and was greeted with a tried looking Akina laying in the middle of the room, Natsumi by her side, the doctor cleaning off the baby, and two men standing by the door in the oh so familiar black and red cloaks._

_His bored eyes met with his brother's emotionless eyes and they stood like that for what seemed like forever, both ignoring Akina's cursing towards Itachi. Sasuke was the one to break the eye contact by closing his eyes to yawn, causing the familiar fish face to laugh. When he re-opened his eyes he saw that Itachi had walked over to Akina's side, pushing Natsumi out of the way._

_Sasuke watched as the doctor handed Akina the cleaned baby, saying that it was a boy. Akina momentarily held him before just passing him over to Itachi, complaining that she was too tired to hold him. Itachi stared down at the baby in his arms, emotions finally showing themselves, though Sasuke doubted that anyone beside him noticed._

_Sasuke stared at Itachi's stoic face then traveled to his eyes. And for the first time since he was younger, he was emotions twirl around him his eyes. Itachi stared down very lovingly at his son, happiness, sadness, and wonder in his eyes. Sasuke unconsciously burned the image into his mind, for some reason not wanting to forget it._

"_What will you name him?" the doctor said as he filled out the birth certificate._

"_I don't know. Does it matter? We can just call him kid for right now." Akina said to the doctor, causing him to stare at her in wonder and confusion._

"_B-but. . ." the doctor said, too shocked and confused to form sentences._

_Akina glared at him, before starting to rant about how it is her kid and she can call whatever she wants and blah. Honestly, Sasuke just wanted to leave. Fish face had walked over to him and had started asking him stupid questions like 'what's it like to be an uncle?' in a mocking tone._

"_Seto" Itachi suddenly said causing everyone in the room to stop and stare at him. "His name is Seto Uchiha." he said before handing the baby over to Natsumi. Everyone continued to stare. The doctor nodded and started to scribble on the paper._

_Sasuke sighed and pushed himself up from his leaning position on the wall, causing the attention to turn to him. He started toward the door and was about out when he felt someone grab him wrist and pull him back, slamming the door closed in the process._

_Sasuke's annoyed eyes turned and met his brother's blank ones again. Sasuke was about to yell, but Itachi spoke. "It is very important that no one is to know about Seto. No one is to tell anyone about this, not even Orochimaru or the Akatsuki. No one. All records of Seto Uchiha will be hidden." He said to everyone in the room, but his eyes never leaving Sasuke's._

"_To everyone else, you are not an uncle, like I am not a father. We are only two Uchihas left in this world." he added, speaking to Sasuke instead of everyone else, though he said it loud enough for everyone to hear._

_Sasuke stared back at him, confused as why he wasn't overwhelmed with the need to kill the man holding his wrist and staring into his eyes. He just didn't feel the need to; he didn't even feel the need to hate him._

"_You have my word, brother." he found himself saying, shocking himself, along with others in the room. He hadn't meant for it to slip out, and he definitely didn't mean for it to come out in such a caring tone. He was supposed to hate him with every fiber of his being, but now as he stared into his blank eyes, he just didn't._

_The brothers stared at each other for awhile more before Itachi let go of his wrist. Sasuke stared down at his wrist for a moment before opening the door and walking out, continuing his mission. He was really behind now._

End of Flashback

Sasuke stared into the empty cup, thinking of his brother and Seto' birth. He remembered laying in bed for weeks thinking about it. He realized after a month, that he didn't hate Itachi anymore, for some reason. He just didn't trust him; he did kill their clan and joined the Akatsuki. It's only normal that he wasn't trusted.

Sasuke sighed yet again. The way that Itachi looked at Seto. He would be a good father if only he would get his act together and quit the Akatsuki. If he was only there for his children, instead of with that organization.

Sasuke wondered if he should tell Itachi about his daughter. I mean, he has the right to know. But if he told him, he might want to see her, and probably Seto too. And he can't be trusted.

"There you are. What are you doing all by yourself?" Sakura asked as she walked over to him. She stood to his right side, and leaned against the counter as well, and stared into the cup, like he was. After a moment he looked up from the cup and studied her. She was in good spirits at the moment, staring into the cup, in a mocking manner.

She looked up from the cup and smiled brightly at him. He smirked at her, already feeling better. She always had a way to make him feel better.

"So, what are you doing all by yourself?" she asked in a fairly normal tone, but a slightly hint of worry, although her smile made you think otherwise.

"I'm just thinking."

"Thinking about what?" she asked as the worried tone became more heard.

"How I'm going to take care of a baby and Seto." he said with a frown. He didn't really know why he said that instead of telling her the truth, it kind of just slipped out.

Sakura pushed herself out of her leaning position before standing in front of him. She lightly wrapped her arms around him, leaning her form into his. She stared up into his eyes, seeing how she is shorter. "Hey, I'll help you and Naruto is surprisingly good with both of them and Ino can help, along pretty much most of rookie nine and team Gai will be willing to help. Your not alone anymore." she said with a smile.

He smirked back. Then Sakura had a thoughtful look on her face and then smiled brightly. "When I go to work, then you will have them both for about an hour. Then you take Seto to daycare instead of trying to watch both of them yourself. See, I told you putting Seto in daycare was a good thing but you never listen to me." she mocked.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her and pouted slightly. "Shush, you." he said before capturing her lips. Sakura smiled against his lips and kissed back passionately. Sasuke wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer, while Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck, her finger getting entangled in his raven locks.

Sasuke traced his tongue along her bottom lip and she willing opened. He roamed her mouth before the two tongues began to fight for dominance. They were so into the kiss that they didn't notice that Ino and Naruto came into the kitchen, both carrying a kid.

Ino just rolled her eyes but Naruto stared in shock. So far, the only people to know about their relationship are Ino, Akina, Natsumi and Seto. So when Naruto saw them making out, he didn't know how to react.

They watched while Sasuke dragged his hands down from her waist and gripped her thighs. He then pulled then upward, lifting her off the ground. Sakura wrapped her legs around his waist, not once breaking the kiss. Sasuke then turned around, so that her back was to the counter, before he placed her on the counter, leaning against her so that he was positioned between her legs.

At this point, Ino finally got sick of watching them suck face so she grabbed the nearest blunt object and threw it at Sasuke, hitting him on the head. The force of the hit made him head-butt Sakura and bite down. Sakura let out a yelp and pulled back.

Sasuke rubbed his head and turned and saw Naruto staring like an idiot, holding the baby and Ino looking not so innocent, holding Seto. "Fuck, Ino! What is wrong with you?" he yelled, only receiving a shrug of the shoulders before she walked over to the table and set Seto down.

"Ow, my tongue. You bit my tongue." he heard from behind him in a muffled voice. He turned to see Sakura sticking out her tongue while rubbing a red spot on her forehead. He gave her an apologetic look and then placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, making her smile.

"I'm sorry." he whispered with guilt laced in his tone.

"It's okay." as she placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Wow! Are you two together?!" Naruto yelled, after regaining his composure. Sakura smiled innocently while Sasuke just stared, then nodded slowly, wondering how they ever forgot to tell Naruto.

"What? And you never told me! I thought. . ." he continued to rant but everyone just tuned him out. Sasuke sighed once more before walking over to Seto, pulling him into his arms, holding him tightly. Seto stared at him questionably before returning the hug, whispering to him so only he can hear. "What's wrong, Daddy?"

Sasuke unconsciously tightened his hold on him. "I'm just not having a great day." he whispered back, feeling Seto's grip tighten. Sasuke closed his eyes tightly. Itachi had the right to see his kids, but he just didn't trust him enough, and he wouldn't know what to do if anything happened to them.

Sasuke took a deep breath, brushing off the thoughts. He loosened his grip on Seto but kept him in his arms. He turned and saw that Sakura was now holding the baby, with Ino swooning over her, and Naruto had had stopped ranting, instead digging through the fridge.

"What are you going to name her?" Ino said in a baby voice, causing Sasuke to stare at her strangely.

"I don't know. Right know, I just want to know how we are going to take care of her. We don't have any baby things." he said with another sigh.

"Well, you just need to go shopping, silly. It's not very hard. In fact, it's not too late. Ino and I can go shopping now." Sakura said

Ino suddenly smiled brightly, jumping up and down. "Yah! Baby Shopping! We can get her little cute outfits, and toys, the little cute shoes that you always see in stores that make you want a baby just so you can buy them and baby blankets!"

Sakura smiled at her friends antics. "Yes and we can get her formula, diapers, bottles, special shampoo's, and other things we will need. Hmm, finding a good crib at this time is going to be really hard." she said the last part to herself more than anyone else.

"Oh your right. When my aunt got pregnant she had the worst time finding a good crib." Ino said, nodding her head slowly.

"Well, my mother was a pack-rat. I'm sure there is a crib somewhere in that house." Sasuke said with a sigh. He didn't really want to go anywhere near the house, but it was probably the only choice if they wanted a good crib.

Ino stared at him questionably, while Naruto and Sakura gave him gave him worried looks, knowing exactly what house he was talking about. "Are you sure?" Sakura asked quietly, causing Ino to be further confused. Sasuke just nodded.

"Well, do you want me to come with you?" Naruto asked, now standing in front of the stove, heating the water for a cup of instant ramen he found.

"Ah, sure. Thanks."

There was an eerie silence afterward until Ino decided to break it. "So it's settled. You two look for a crib and we will go shopping, and we might as well bring the kids with us." she said the last part to Sakura, who nodded.

xOx

Sasuke stood in front of the house. The house that he has been avoiding for years. The house that holds so many memories. The house he grew up in with his family. The old Uchiha manor.

He took a deep breath when he felt Naruto put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He turned to him and nodded thanking him. "You look in the basement. I'll look in the attic. Lets just get this over with."

They calmly walked into the house. It was dark, just it was on that night, involuntarily causing a shiver to creep down Sasuke's spine. Out of respect and habit, Sasuke made Naruto take off his shoes before entering completely.

The air was stuffy, from being closed off for so long. Sasuke and Naruto made it into the living room, where everything seemed to be clothed in dust. Sasuke felt Naruto eyeing him and he turned to see Naruto with a worried look. "The basement isn't hard to find, just use your flashlight. Oh, and avoid the back room." he said with a fake smirk, trying to make his friend feel better and to stop worrying about him. Sasuke felt another shiver run down his spine again and a lump form in his throat when he thought of the back room.

Naruto nodded slowly, not fooled at all but not saying anything about it, and walked out of the room. When Naruto was out of earshot, Sasuke let out a sigh. He studied to room, images of what it used to look like creeping into his mind.

Sasuke slowly walked out into the hall, leading to the bedrooms. But instead of going into the rooms, he went to the attic door, placed in the hallway ceiling. In one swift movement he pulled himself up into the small door, into a more stuffy area.

The attic was completely dark, so Sasuke couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. When Sasuke switched on the flashlight, he saw that the small places was filled with boxes and other items, like large mirror, clothing hanging on a rack, Christmas things and other useless things that Sasuke didn't understand why it was up here.

Sasuke carefully walked farther into the small room, glancing into boxes here and there. He spent a good hour to half hour looking before he heard Naruto. "Hey Teme, you up there still?" He yelled from below.

"Yeah. Did you find the crib?" Sasuke yelled back, now by the back of the room.

"No. The basement had more files then anything. There wasn't really anything down there at all. Did you find it?"

"No. There is so much crap up here." Sasuke said with a sigh.

"Do you need help?"

"Um, yeah, I guess."

Naruto pulled himself up and studied the room, looking around at the stuff that had collected over the years. "Man, you weren't kidding when you said your mom was a pack-rat." he said while walking to examine an old record player with flowers painted on it.

"Hn"

Sasuke took a deep breath and began his search again. He glanced around, noting that it was more clustered by the back wall. H climbed his way though a few boxes careful not to step on anything. But when he climbed over one box, he failed to notice a smaller box next to it, to busy looking around, and stepped on it.

He heard a crunch and quickly pulled his foot up, fearing he might have broke something. But his other foot wasn't firmly planted on the ground, causing him to lose his balance. He grabbed at the first thing in his reach, which happened to be a stack of boxes. But instead of steadying him, he pulled it down with him, causing the contents of the box to spill all over him.

Sasuke laid there for a moment and let what just happen register in his head. while listening to Naruto laugh, who saw the whole thing. Sasuke groaned feeling a crushed box underneath him dig into his back. He glanced around and noticed that there were small rectangles around him. He slowly sat up, causing the rectangles to fall on his lap, revealing familiar faces and places. He stared down at them, realizing they were pictures. Sasuke slowly picked one up and studied it.

It was a picture of him and Itachi, both extremely young. He was smiling happily on Itachi's back, both of his small arms holding Itachi tight. Itachi had a small smile on his face as well, while he held his little brother in place. Sasuke recognized the background as the lake, the setting sun making everything in the picture seem to glow.

Sasuke smiled sadly. This picture was taken a little before his fifth birthday. Itachi, himself and his mother had gone to the lake for the day. He remembered that they had planned the day days in advance. The whole family were going to go and celebrate his birthday early, because his actual birthday fell on a day where both his brother and his father had a mission. But his father was assigned a last minute mission and had missed both days. But even without his father, it turned out to be one of his best birthdays.

Naruto noticed his friend's silence and carefully climbed over to him. He studied him for a moment before slowly sitting down beside him. He picked up a few pictures, studying one then moving on to the next rather quickly. "Who's the baby?" he asked after a moment.

Sasuke stared at him for a moment before looking down at the picture Naruto was holding. The picture was of two small boys, one a baby laying in a crib wrapped in a blue blanket while the other stared over to the side of the crib down in wonder at the other.

"Um, that's me and Itachi. He's about five in his picture and I'm a newborn." Sasuke said as he examined the picture. It was taken when Itachi was still innocent, like Seto.

"It's scary how much they look alike." Sasuke stated after a moment.

"Yeah." Naruto said not really knowing what else to say.

"Seto's going to look just like Itachi when he grows up." Sasuke said, getting the feeling that Naruto didn't even know who he was talking about. Naruto slowly nodded.

They sat awkwardly for a moment, not knowing what to say. "I wondered what happened." Naruto tried. Sasuke just stared at him, telling him to continue. "You used to be cute." he said jokingly, holding the picture out to him.

"Shut up, Dobe." Sasuke said with a smirk.

They gathered up the pictures, Sasuke silently deciding that he was taking it back home. When Sasuke stood up, something caught his eye. He walked over to the back wall and moved a box out of the way. "Dobe, I found the crib." he said, feeling stupid for not noticing it earlier.

xOx

"Daddy, is that you?" Seto said as he pointed to picture, stifling a yawn He was sitting in Sasuke's lap, trying to stay awake but not being very successful. Sasuke smiled. "Yup, that's when I was your age." He said while putting the pictures back into the box and getting up, carrying Seto.

Sasuke passed by the kitchen and sighed when he heard Ino tell Sakura she was staying over. The house was completely filled. The baby was currently sleeping in one of the guest rooms, for now. Naruto was also upstairs sleeping, staying in the guest room that Ino usually slept in. And now that Ino is staying over, then she will probably go in Sakura's room.

Sasuke silently walked into Seto's room and put him in his pajamas. He gently laid him down and covered him up, placing a small kiss on his forehead and whispering good night. He then turned on the night light before turning off the light and closing the door.

When he walked into his room Sakura was already there, standing in the bathroom joined with his room washing her face. Sasuke walked in and stripped his shirt and pants rather quickly , not bothering to put on his pajama pants and crawled under the covers, just wanting to sleep.

"You look tired." he heard and opened his closed eyes and saw Sakura staring back at him. "Hn." he grunted, causing Sakura to smile.

"Okay, let me just go get changed and then I will join you." she said as she started for the door.

"Hey Sakura, can I ask you a question?" he said, staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah, go ahead."

"You have been staying in my room for a month now, and you haven't even moved your hairbrush in here. You don't even use my shower. Why?" he said, still not looking at her.

Sakura was silent for a moment, not even sure herself. "I guess, I just didn't want you to think we were moving too fast or get sick of me or something like that." she said with a blush.

"Well, I won't get sick of you. I wouldn't mind if you moved into here with me." he said. They were still for a moment, Sasuke wondering if he made her uncomfortable. Sakura smiled and walked over to him. She crawled over up and laid down on top of his chest. He looked away, a small blush on his face. "I would love to move in here with you." she whispered into his ear.

There eyes locked and stayed like that for a moment. They shared a passionate kiss before they pulled back. Sakura rested her head on his shoulder momentarily before getting up and heading for the door, much to Sasuke's confusion.

"Where are you going?"

"To my room. I can't sleep unless I'm in a pair of comfy shorts, which are in my room."

Sasuke stared at her for a moment and when she was about to open the door, he spoke. "You into third drawer of the dresser." she stared at him for a moment, confused. Sasuke looked at her a and gave her a look that asked her what she was waiting for.

Slowly she made her way over and opened the drawer and was greeted by clothes. After a closer examination, she realized it was his boxers. She blushed and looked at him questionably. "You can wear those."

She stared at him for a moment more before she understood what he meant and blushed madly. Sasuke smirked and decided to tease her. "I won't look if that is what you are worried about."

She glared, know he was teaser her, but also blushed deeper. Sasuke chuckled and closed his eyes, and took a content breath. Sakura took this moment to put on his boxers, not ready for him to see her naked. . . . again.

When she was dressed she walked over and climbed into bed. She blushed deepened again. Not only was she wearing his underwear, but he was in nothing but his underwear and she was cuddling with him.

They were silent for a moment before something occurred to Sakura. "Hey, do you know what you are going to name the baby?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment before answering. "I was thinking Mikoto, after my mother."

Sakura stared up at him and say an unreadable expression. "Mikoto." she repeated.

"I was looking at the pictures today and I found my mother's baby picture. She looked almost identical to the baby."

Sakura hugged him tightly. "Seto and Mikoto. I think it is a perfect name for her."

* * *

**Ello, well what did you think? I can't say that i liked this chapter to much, or at all. Really it was just a filler chapter so that i can get the name out the baby. Which thanks for the suggestions, by the way. Tell me what you think because, really i have no problem changing things. Oh and i have a question, should Sasuke tell itachi about his daughter or should he wait until she is older? Poor Sasuke, having so much to deal with just because his brother likes a little hoe that is always sleeping with him. . . .Hmm. . . Ramdom thought. and another random thought, the baby doesn't like Ino. lol. And Sasuke doesn't blame her for it either. lol I love writing Sasuke's and Ino's interactions. It makes me smile how they speak to each other and act with each other. They are always bashing on each other, lol.**

**Well anyways, i really need your reviews. Are you liking it and like to see more of something? Or do you want me to stop doing something. And also, i would like to hear about what you like to see happen. Please, review! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Ello. I'm so sorry that i haven't been updating, but it's a little crazy right now. School started up again, and i'm trying to adjust to a new school that i really hate. The people aren't that bad, but the school its self and the classes that really suck. Like, it so bad that it makes me want to go up to my neighbor (who is a grade behind me) and just grab her by the face and scream 'stay in middle school! High school sucks! The classes are shit and the school is extremely ghetto and there are so many security guards that are everywhere you go! Savor every moment you have!' so yeah. I have crazy homework (Damn Chemisrty! How the hell did i get that class?) and my friend just got suspended for 180 days. (He got high durung school. What a dumb fuck, right? He was so bad that he was running into walls and falling out of his chair. And when he went to the bathroom i was afriad he would drown in the tiolet.) and i'm really confused right now. I really like this kid but it is all very complicated. He's my friend (my sunshine actually. and i'm his princess) so yeah, that whole thing could just be weird. I don't even know why i'm telling you all this. so yeah. Thats my excuse for not updating. Please enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Sasuke's eyes reluctantly fluttered open again from the sound of distant crying, again. He had awoken at three in the morning when he heard crying. At first, I was terribly and utterly confused by the foreign sound piercing through the dark. Then slowly, as Sakura began to awoken, it dawned on him that it was Mikoto.

Sakura had gotten up while Sasuke continued to lay in his warm bed. Shortly after, the loud cries stopped and Sasuke smirked happily that it finally that it was over and he could sleep again. Unfortunately, he could sleep for some reason until Sakura had climbed back into bed, a half hour later. He had spent the remainder of the night waking up periodically only to be greeted with darkness until he finally drifted back to sleep.

Sasuke now laid on the bed, the sunlight peaking slightly through the blinds, alone, listening to the cries of a little girl down the hall. He glanced at the clock, it reading five forty-three, and sighed. Just as he was about to get up he heard someone rush down the hall, the cries stopping almost instantly.

He waited for a few moments before slowly getting up. He pulled a old shirt over his head and a pair of sweats on before leaving the room, knowing that Ino and Naruto were still over and he would be mortified if they saw him in his underwear. They would never stop teasing him.

He silently crept up the hallway, stopping to check on Seto. He was sleeping peacefully, his room being the farthest from the guest rooms. Sasuke smirked and let him sleep, moving onto the next child. He stood in the doorway and stared in.

Sakura was standing with her back to him, silently gushing over the baby. Sasuke listened to Mikoto's soft angelic giggles and smirked. Sakura seemed to be a natural with the small little girl.

After a few minutes of watching the two, Sakura placed Mikoto back into the large, expensive looking, white crib with the Uchiha emblem engraved into it. She made sure Mikoto was completely comfortable before turning to walk out the door. She jumped slightly seeing him standing there before she smiled.

She walked over and gave him a small good morning kiss. "How long have you been standing there?" she whispered.

"Not long."

She smiled and started toward the stairs, Sasuke following closely behind. They went into the kitchen where Sakura poured a cup of coffee for both of them. They didn't wait long until Ino joined them.

Ino slowly walked into the room, wrapped up in Sakura's robe and started toward the table. She glanced up at them, and froze for a moment before sitting down, a bright smile on her face, alarming Sasuke. It was completely quiet in the kitchen for a few minutes while Ino stared at them with the same smile.

"What?" Sasuke finally asked.

The smile grew larger before she spoke. "Nothing really. I just was thinking that Sakura's pajamas look good on her." she said.

Sasuke looked over at her, really examining what she was wearing. Sasuke mentally kicked himself for not being a morning person. Because he had just woken up fully, he failed to notice what Ino was currently getting a kick out of. Sakura was wearing one of her small tank tops, today a light purple spaghetti-strap tank top(Which showed a little more skin Than he like with another male in the house, even if it was just Naruto) and shorts. His shorts. Or boxers to be exact. Also since Ino was currently wearing her robe, she was wearing one of Sasuke large shirts as a robe. She was also using one of his cloth belts as the robe string.

Sakura blushed and Sasuke glared at Ino for being childish. It wasn't long before Naruto stumbled into the room and noticed the tension. He studied Ino and Sasuke first and opened his mouth to say something when his eyes reached Sakura and he froze.

"What?" Sasuke asked with a sigh.

Naruto never took his eyes off of Sakura as he shook his head in a way that said nothing, but they could tell something was wrong. Naruto then almost painfully slow, he walked join Ino at the table. It was silent for a few as they studied the blonde boy. He seemed to really want to know something but was stumbling over how to exactly how to say it.

After watching him struggle for a moment more Ino gave in. "Oh, what? Just say it."

He glanced at her and then started muttering under his breath while everyone waited patiently, well as patiently as they could. "Well, . . . I was just . . . wondering, exactly, . . .Umm, . . how far. . .things have gotten."

The words hit them all at the same time, each causing a different reaction. Ino, of course, had a small fit (meaning she all but feel out of her chair from laughing) while she secretly wondered the same thing. Sakura had froze in her spot as soon as she understood what he was implying and turned the deepest shade of red imaginable. Sasuke, on the other hand, had just taken a sip of his coffee and ending up spitting it all over.

"Fuck! What the hell!? Why are you spitting all over me!? Advanced warning would be nice next time before you just spew your disgusting spit all over the place! All I just wanted to know if there will be _more _Uchiha babies running around!" Naruto yelled jumping out of his seat just in time to avoid the coffee.

"Damn it, Naruto! That's none of your business!" Sasuke hissed.

"WHAT? I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT YOU GUYS BEING TOGETHER, LIKE YESTERDAY AND THEN YOU GUYS SLEPT IN THE SAME ROOM AND THEN SHE'S WEARING YOUR CLOTHES THE NEXT MORNING! YOU KNOW THAT YOU WOULD BE THINKING THE SAME THING!"

"Shut the hell up! The kids are sleeping, Dobe!"

As if on que, there was some crying from upstairs and they all sighed. Ino and Sakura rushed up stairs to Mikoto while Sasuke cleaned up the small mess he had made while ignoring all other questions about the subject.

The rest of the morning went by uneventfully. Naruto and Sasuke spared in the back yard while the girls took care of the kids and hung out. After lunch, Ino and Naruto deiced it was finally time for them to leave, Naruto going to meet up with Hinata and Ino having to go and check in at her family's flower shop. Sakura had also decided that work was also necessary for her to do then, which meant leaving Sasuke alone with both children.

Sakura sat at the edge of the bed, pulling he tights over her legs while Sasuke paced back and forth. She sighed. "Sasuke, calm down. It's not the end of the world. Mikoto is sleeping right now and she should be out for awhile. And Seto is going to dare care in a half hour. I will pick him up on the way home so all you have to do is take care Mikoto and she will sleep a lot."

Sasuke gave her a wary look as he followed her down the stairs where Ino and Naruto were waiting by the door, all leaving together. She pulled on her boots, coming up just below her knee while she skirt reached her knees. She pulled on her coat and gave Seto, who was saying bye to Aunt Ino and Uncle Naruto, a small kiss and promised to pick him up from daycare later.

She then turned to Sasuke, who stood wordlessly to the side and watched. She pulled him forward and pressed her body tightly against him, holding him in place. She reached up and placed her gloved hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. "You will just fine." she reassured before planting a passionate kiss on his lips.

"That's going to take some getting used to." Naruto muttered as he watched his best friends.

Sakura pulled back, a faint blush on her face from Naruto's comment and gave Sasuke a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine." she said as she followed Ino and Naruto out the door. The door closed with a small thud, followed by complete silence.

They stared at the door for a few minutes, well Seto staring questionable back and forth at his father and the door, wondering what was the matter. Suddenly, small cry was heard, starting out quietly before erupting in loud shrieks. Seto tugged slightly on Sasuke shirt and stared up at him. Sasuke sighed before turning to him. "Let's go get your sister."

xOx

Taking care of a small child was harder then Sasuke had imagined. But then, taking care of a small baby was even harder. Getting a hang of holding her was weird and it seemed impossible and he couldn't seem to calm her down. (Taking Seto to daycare was fun. She cried the entire time and people stared both in shock and disgust. He had even heard

He tried everything he could think off. He tried feeding her, and she puked on him, he tried changing her, a very messy situation unfolded, and he tried burping her, and again, he had to change his shirt when she drool on him. He tried pacing and rocking her but nothing seemed to soothe her. He even tired funny faces or toys, but nothing. It seemed like it only made her get louder.

So by the time that Sakura and Seto came home Sasuke was half deaf and completely exhausted. Seto rushed over Sasuke and told him about his day while Sakura took Mikoto and a miracle happened. There was silence. Sasuke swore he heard a giggle as well.

Sasuke and Seto had made dinner that night while Sakura took care of Mikoto at the table. They ate dinner as a family and everything seemed to flow. It wasn't long before Seto and Mikoto was safely sleeping up stairs.

Sasuke unceremoniously plopped down on the couch and closed his eyes.

"You look exhausted. Was taking care Mikoto that bad?" Sakura asked as she curled up next to Sasuke, resting her head on his chest.

Sasuke sighed and draped his arm on her waist. "I'm not a kid person." he grumbled.

"That's not true. What about Seto?"

"Fine. I'm not a baby person." He sighed.

Sakura was silent for a moment before she studied his troubled expression. He seem more than just tried, like he had something important on his mind. "What's on your mind, Sunshine."

Sasuke just stared at her for a moment. In truth, a lot. How was he supposed to do this? Raising a little boy was hard enough but now a little girl. He didn't know how to treat a little girl. It's pretty much easy with Seto because they are similar in my ways. But a little girl! Plus she made it very clear that she didn't like him. Which says a lot, because she even like Naruto. Hell, she like Ino more than she liked him.

Then you have the biggest problem. The problem that has been bugging him since Mikoto came into this family.

Itachi.

He had the right to know that he had a daughter. But he really didn't want Seto or Mikoto near him. Hell, he didn't want to be near him. And Sasuke wasn't about to just leave the village to go search for his brother, so that would mean that Itachi would have to come here. To Konoha. Where the innocent villagers were. Where is friends were. Where his other brother Naruto was. Where Sakura was.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked at Sakura, staring up at him in concern. "Tell me what's bugging you. And don't tell me it nothing. I want to know the truth. You can tell me and we can work it out, together." Sakura said sternly, but sweetly.

Sasuke sighed. There was no point in arguing. "I'm worried about Itachi." he said flatly.

"What do you think he'll try something."

"No but I'm just worried. He doesn't know that he has a daughter and he has the right to know. But I really don't want to tell him. I don't trust him."

It was silent for a few minutes, each thinking. "Your right", Sakura began. "He does has the right to know."

"But I really don't want him near here. I don't want him to be near the kids or Naruto or you. He can't be trusted."

"I know where you are coming from but I think his right to know is more important than your hate for me." she said calmly but afraid of how he would take it.

He was silent for a few moments, eyes closed, face expressionless. His body was completely tense and unmoving. It was like he was even holding his breath. After another moment his breathing began again, but he stayed tense with an expressionless mask. "It's not that I hate him. In fact, I don't. I just don't feel the need to hate him. But I don't trust him. I never know what he is going to do. He's a complete mystery to me and that scares me."

Sakura clutched him. "Well, I'll be right here with you. He won't try anything and we will stop him if he even tries."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I think it would be a good idea to tell him. But it's up to you."

They were silent for a moment, again thinking. Suddenly the phone rang. But they had phones in the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms and they were all hooked up together. Sakura jump up and flung herself toward the phone, trying to quiet it before it woke up the kids.

Sakura ended up pulled the phone off the small table and into the ground. She herself was halfway laying on the ground while her legs were still on the couch, almost kicking Sasuke.

"Hello?" she said all fluttered and out of breath.

"Hey Sakura. Why do you sound all out of breath? Were you doing something with Sasuke? You know you should do that. There are kids in that house and ew, Sasuke."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Ino, shut up. We were doing anything. I'm just out of breath because the phone scared me and I flung myself at it so I could answer. I didn't want to wake up the kids. So shush. And your lucky Sasuke didn't hear what you said about him."

"Yeah, right. That's a likely story."

"Yeah, because it's true. Was there a reason for your call."

"No, not really. But hey, talking-" was all Ino got out before Sakura hung up.

"What was that about?" Sasuke asked as he stared down at her in her awkward position.

"Ino just being Ino." Sakura said as she tried to straighten herself out.

"I have to say, you answering the phone was the most graceful thing I have ever seen. I think that you made more noise then the phone was making." Sasuke teased.

Sakura blushed a slight red and pouted. "Shush, it was a instinct."

"That was an instinct? You just instinctively decided to fling yourself at a phone and tumble to the ground? You are a weird one." Sasuke said just a smirk on his face, chuckling slightly while he shook his head.

"Don't laugh at me. Your mean." Sakura said as she curled back up against Sasuke, resting her head on his chest again.

xOx

Sasuke crawled into the warm, inviting bed and relaxed. Sakura was in the bathroom changing and wash her face. She joined him quickly and relaxed as well.

"Today was a long day." she muttered as she cuddled against him.

"Yeah." Sasuke muttered back for a few beats of silence. "You know, I think I'm going to tell him."

"I think that is wise."

"yeah, I think I'll send a snake in the morning to hunt him down and give him a message."

Sakura looked up at him and studied him for a moment. "Your not going to have the snake tell him, are you?"

"No, I think I'll just tell him that I want to talk to him about something important and where to find me."

"Oh." she hugged him tightly. "Remember, we are all here for you."

He tightened his hold on her as well. "Yeah, I know."

They were silent for a while, letting sleep start to pull them in. "Goodnight, Sunshine."

"Goodnight, Princess."

* * *

**Well i hope you enjoyed. Sorry it was shorter. But i really jusy wanted to get this out so you guys wouldn't kill me. lol. I just noticed that i put the sunshine and princess in there again. Sorry about that. It's kind of instinct now for me to say that. Well i really need feed back. I want to know if you like it. You know the whole Itachi knowing thing and if you like what direction i'm going in. Oh and i forgot. I need plot suggestions again because the other plot line that i had in mind isn't going to work out anymore so yeah. I'm back at square one again, well sort of.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Ello, sorry i haven't updated in awhile. I've been busy and suffering from writers block. But don't worry. I'm still alive. I didn't fall off the face of the planet. I'm here. So things in my life are a little better then the last time i updated. My friend is back at school after his little, lets call it 'episode' after only like a month gone from school. He didn't have to do the 180 days. So he's back and all that is sorted out. School still sucks, but it's a little better. Only two more weeks of gym and im free the fucking bitch that calls herself a teacher. And that friend i mention before, well things are still the same. I don't think it will ever happen, so yeah.**

**But if anyone has read my profile, you will be glad to know that i seen Twilight, twice. lol and i love it! i can't wait for it to come out on DVD!**

**okay, one last thing. I dedicating this chapter to **sasusaku779**. I read your story, **Love Test **, and i loved it. lol but it freaking sucks that someone would steal your work and claim it as theres. It's not right. FanFiction is a place where author can share their work with others, and improve on thier writing. But i will never understand how a person can just steal someones work. We spend time on our writing and put a lot of hard work into it. How dare you just take that away from someone. If you wanted to use the idea, i think that would have okay. But how can you just copy and paste someone elses work? Use your little head of yours and organized your thoughts together and write something yourself. So this chapter is for my faithful reviewer. Thank you for reading and i'm so sorry that this has happend to you. I know i would i have been really upset if this happened to me. So i hope by dedicating this chapter to you, it will help you feel better. Oh and i think that the person that did this to should take down the story and apologize.**

Sakura turned on Seto's night light and glazed at his sleeping face. A small smile tugged onto her lips as she stepped forward and pulled the blankets over his body. She planted a gentle kiss on his forehead before making her way out. She silently walked down stairs and started for the kitchen.

She walked through the doorway and froze for a moment. Sasuke was currently leaning against the doorframe of the backdoor, staring into the black night. She studied his slightly tense posture and frowned. She then noticed crimson streaks running down his hand, dripping onto the floor and frowned deeper.

She calmly walked over and inspected the cut on his arm. It was a clean cut, from a kunai probably. She gave him a look, expecting an answer.

"Summoning Jutsu." he muttered not looking at her at all, but knowing that she was giving him 'the' look. The look that she always gave him when she was mad or wanted something important. In this case, an explanation.

She frowned. "We both know that you don't need this much blood for that jutsu." She said before inspecting it again before focusing her chakra to her fingertips. They were silent as she expertly healed him.

She then silently went to the sink and grabbed a washcloth and ran it under the sink. She wrung it of access water and then walked back over to Sasuke's side. She grabbed his arm again and began to wash away the streaks of blood.

"So does this mean that you did it, then?" she whispered, almost afraid of his reaction.

"Yes. I sent one of my most trusted snakes to find him and deliver the message." he muttered.

Sakura absentmindedly nodded her head, still cleaning his arm. She felt a little guilty. They were going against the Hokage's word.

[Flashback]

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"_Come in." Tsunade said from her desk, concentrating on the many papers filling up the entire desk. The job of the Hokage is never easy._

_The door opened and Sasuke walked in, carrying Seto. Tsunade briefly looked up before looking back at the papers. She scribbled something down before putting down her pen and looking up, giving them her full attention._

_Seto quickly scrambled out of Sasuke's arms and greeted 'Grandma' Tsunade with a hug. Although she hated the idea of being called 'Grandma' she couldn't help but let the little boy address her by it. He just won everyone's hearts._

"_What? No Sakura today?" Tsunade asked._

"_No, she here. She just got sidetracked. She's talking to someone down the hall, we just went on without her." _

_Tsunade smiled. That sounded like Sakura. She's too popular for her own good sometimes. She shook the thoughts off, and focused on the matter at hand. "Well, as much as I love your "family's" little visits, I know you don't just visit for the hell of it. So, what do I owe the pleasure of this little meeting."_

_Sasuke smirked. "Yeah, well the reason I'm here is just to inform you of something, well before you get the wrong information from one the of the ANBU you send to check up on me."_

_Tsunade narrowed her eyes, not liking where this was heading. "Yes, continue."_

"_Well, our little 'family' situation just got a little more complicated."_

"_Complicated?"_

_Just then, the door opened and Sakura stepped in. She greeted her sensei with a smile and a good morning. Tsunade just stared, wondering why she was carrying a baby._

"_Like I said, a little more complicated."_

_The was complete silence in the room while Tsunade studied the situation, trying to come up with an explanation for the sudden new member in the family. Couldn't be Sakura. It hasn't been nine months and she surly would have been showing if she was pregnant last time she saw her. So how? "Okay, does someone want to explain." she finally said._

"_Well, It's kind of a long story but I'll shorten it for you.", Sakura began. "well, we had a visitor recently. Someone's mother to be exact." she said eyeing Seto so Tsunade would understand. "Basically, she and Itachi had another child and she dropped her off here for Sasuke to take care of."_

_Silence engulfed the room again as Tsunade took it all in. She struggled for words for a moment before she found what she wanted to say. "So, what your saying is that baby is another one of Itachi kids and you are taking it in." she said, noticing how Sasuke flinched when she said 'it'. She had honestly expected him to flinch at 'Itachi' and not 'it'._

"_Yes. We are taking _her_ in. Mikoto Uchiha." Sasuke said defensively._

_Tsunade studied him for a moment before just sighing, mumbling something about something about needing a drink. "Fine, but I don't want to hear about any sort of contact between you and the father. You hear me. We had agreement when you came into his village. Absolutely no contact. I expect you to honor that agreement."_

_Sasuke just nodded his head._

"_Now, let me hold her." Tsunade said._

xOx

_Sasuke and Sakura walked home, each holding a child. They received many stares, but they ignored them. Sakura would have probably had a lot more trouble ignoring them if she wasn't so caught up in her thoughts. _

_She glanced at Sasuke from the corner of her eyes, taking in his profile. "Hey, you said that you were going to contact your brother, right?"_

_He merely glanced at her before looking forward again and grunted a 'Hn'. _

_They were silent for a moment, Sakura a tad bit confused. "So, you changed your mind?"_

"_No." be said bluntly._

"_But you just told Tsunade-sensei tha-" she started to say before she was interrupted._

"_No, she said that she didn't want to hear about any contact. I'm not going to tell her."_

_Sakura looked down and stared into the sleeping face of the baby in her arms. She could tell that his mind was made up. There was no point in arguing with him. Plus, she sort of agreed with his decision. Itachi had to know, but she couldn't exactly agree but his methods of telling him. She just wished that they didn't have to go behind her sensei's back._

[End of Flashback]

Sakura shook her head to clear her thoughts. It had to be done.

She finished cleaning Sasuke's arm and walked back over to the sink, washing the washcloth. After a moment she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and a head rest on her shoulder. A smile tugged it's way onto her lips again as she finished cleaning up.

"Let's go up to bed." Sasuke purred into her ear, as she started to tow her towards the doorway.

"But there's still blood on the floor." she objected although she didn't resist Sasuke pulling her away. She felt Sasuke's arm tighten around her waist and she smiled.

"I'll get it tomorrow." he promised.

They trudged up the stairs into their bedroom. They went straight for the bed and threw themselves onto it's soft surface. Sakura sighed contently, cuddling into Sasuke. They had had a busy day and the exhaustion was finally taking effect.

They had sent the whole day working on the house. They had got most of the rookie nine and team Gai over to the house to help-because Naruto thought it was too big of a job for just the two of them. Fist they cleaned out Sakura's room, moving her things into Sasuke's room- their room. (Well the cat was finally out of the bag. The whole group now knew that Sasuke and Sakura were dating. Surprisingly Naruto and Ino had kept their mouths shut and hadn't told anyone about them. Everyone sure was shocked.) They then moved all of Mikoto's things into the room.

The day was chaotic, tiring, and busy. But it was finally done. Mikoto now had her own room and was no longer in guest bedroom. She is a part of the family now.

"You know, Hyuga approached me today." Sasuke said after a moment, eyes closed.

Sakura turned her head and stared up at him, knowing he was talking about Neji. He called Neji by his last name (he in return calling him Uchiha) and called Hinata by her first name. "Really? About what? I don't recall a fight breaking out today." she teased.

Sasuke opened one eye and mockingly glared at her, making Sakura smile. "No, he asked me about the police department."

Sakura sat up and stared at him. Sasuke opened both eyes and stared at her questionable, probably wondering why she sat up and caused him to lose her body heat. "Police department? Why?"

Sasuke just shrugged briefly before answering. "Well, the Uchiha's used to run it-my father was Chief of police- but now that they're gone, so is the police. Neji gave me a proposition." Sasuke said nonchalantly.

"Well? What did he ask?" Sakura asked, real curiosity in her tone.

"He said that after my probation is over, that I might consider starting that back up again. But instead of it just being me, his branch of the Hyuga family will help."

"Like, You and Neji co-own it and work as partners?"

"That's the idea."

Sakura stared down at the comforter, focusing on her thoughts. It wasn't a half bad idea. Sasuke and Neji could probably pull it off. She thought back to when the Uchiha's were in charge. It would be kind of nice for Sasuke to start that up again, seeing as how it is a family thing. But would the village allow this? Or more importantly, will it open old wounds for Sasuke?

She turned her attention back to him. He staring at her, measuring her reaction. "What do you think about this? Do you think you'll take him up on his offer?" she asked him.

She was silent for a few beats, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I don't know. I don't know if I want to follow in my fathers footsteps or if the elder would even allow it. If you haven't noticed, they kind of don't like me." He said seriously then ending on a light note. Sakura smiled at him.

"Well I think it might be nice. I could brag about my boyfriend being a police chief." she answer lightly, teasing him as she got up and headed toward the dresser. They haven't finished unpacking just yet so a few of her things were still in boxes. She went into the drawer and grabbed a pair of Sasuke's underwear, not feeling like hunting through the boxes.

Sasuke smirked and rolled his eyes as he stripped himself into his boxers. He climbed under the covers and waited for Sakura to join him. She followed shortly and cuddled against him. She smiled as a thought occurred to her.

"It feels nice knowing that it's not just your bed anymore. It's our bed."

Sasuke chuckled slightly and smirked. "It does, doesn't it, Princess?

xOx

Itachi stared into the dancing fire, silent as always. He tiredly blinked his eyes, fighting off sleep. His body was tired from two straight days of travel. He wanted so badly to just rest his eyes for a few minutes, like his sleeping partner, but he knew he couldn't. Only a few more hours, he reminded himself, and his partner would wake for his shift to keep watch.

He sluggishly scanned the surrounding area again. And like before, there was nothing to report. Just the another night of the fire country forest.

A loud snore broke Itachi from his thoughts. He mentally rolled his eyes at his partner. He sometimes wondered how he had managed to get into the Akatsuki.

A sudden noise broke his thoughts again. It was like a twig snapping and something moving quickly through the forest.. He scanned the area again, never moving an inch. This time he noticed something.

Out of the corner of his eyes a snake came out of the forest. It stopped on the border of the small clearing that they had set up camp at and studied it. Itachi watched as the snake studied Kisame. After a moment, the snake was in motion again.

It stopped a few feet from Itachi and then glanced at Kisame again for turning back to him. "Itachi Uchiha." it hissed before bowing its head.

Itachi just stared at it, not knowing what to make out of it. He was about to kill it when it spoke again.

"I bring a messsage for you." he paused and measured Itachi's reaction, remembering how Sasuke had requested that it be careful around him. "It'sss from your brother." It whispered.

Itachi mentally scowled. What was his foolish brother up to? Did he not know that sending a message could be dangerous? Why would he risk it?

Itachi suddenly froze. If his brother was trying to get into contact with him then it must be important. Had Orochimaru done anything? Was Sasuke okay? Was Seto? Itachi felt panic begin to seep through his entire body, although he kept his outside completely calm.

Itachi turned his head toward the snake, wanting it to continue. The snake studied him for a moment before backing up slightly, not wanted to be to close, and summoned its courage.

"Your brother would like to meet up with you." It said.

Meet up? What could that mean? Something must have happened if he wants to meet up with him. He knew his brother. He wouldn't risk so much just to say hi. There was something up and it was so important that they have meet up. But what?

Itachi racked his brain for anything that could have happened. But whatever he came up with didn't sound right. Sasuke could handle it. If Orochimaru tried to take him as his vessel then Sasuke would have killed him. If Orochimaru tried to get to Seto then Sasuke would have ran. If people were after him and Seto then he would go to Konoha. Sasuke could handle everything. So what must have happened that he was asking for help?

"He isss currently in Konoha. The Old Uchiha Dissstrict." The snake said, backing away. The snake eyes Kisame again, probably making sure he was still asleep.

"He'll be waiting." the reptile said before completely disappearing into the trees.

Itachi turned his attention back to the fire crackling in front of him. It looks like he is going to Konoha.

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**Well that was it. I know it was short but i just wanted to get it out. Plus if i had continued, then the chapter would have been ridiculously long. So i would like to see reviews. Tell me what you think. I'm not sure i completely like it so i really need you opinion. Well i hoped you enjoyed and until next time.**

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	14. Chapter 14

**Let me start out by saying sorry. I'm really really sorry. Please do not kill me. i updated quicker then i have been lately so remember that fact. I should be studying for my finals but i sat at the computer and typed this out for you instead! Remember you love. Well, i'll let you read so you can understand why i'm so sorry.**

Sasuke stood in the kitchen, his hands under the faucet. The running water burned his skin but he paid no mind to it. He in his thoughts again, making sure he was covered.

He summoned forty of his best snakes- all extremely fast and alert- to guard Konoha. They are positioned outside of the wall and were on look-out. If they spot Itachi they will come straight to Sasuke and report this. There was no way that Sasuke was going to be caught off guard.

Sasuke then will probably go to the old Uchiha Manor and await his 'loving' brother. He will leave Seto with Sakura at the house- maybe with Naruto by her side if they are lucky. But he didn't know if he should bring Mikoto with him or leave her with Sakura as well.

He would feel a lot better if Mikoto was safe with Sakura but Itachi might want to see her. His brother loves Seto deeply (Sasuke just knows. Itachi would never say it out loud but he knows it) so it will be the same for his daughter, right? So there really is no danger in bringing her, right?

Sasuke sighed when crying from the next room broke his thoughts. Then cussed when he finally felt the hot water burning his hands. He stood and silently cursed for a moment before grabbing a towel and drying off his hands.

He walked into the living room and saw Ino was trying- and failing- to calm Mikoto, who was screaming at the top of her lungs. She looked up at him when he entered with frantic eyes. He would have laughed at her panicked expression if Mikoto wasn't screaming so loudly and hurting his ears.

Ino quickly walked up to Sasuke with Mikoto flailing in her arms. "Help me. She won't calm down." She said trying to pass her off to Sasuke, again failing as Sasuke kept his arms straight at his side.

"Well, what did you do?" he asked calmly, enjoying himself.

"Nothing! She just started to freak out!" she said, again trying to hand her over to Sasuke.

"Well, you had to have done something for her to be screaming like this. And why do you keep trying to give her to me? Go get Sakura."

Ino huffed and stomped down on his foot. When his arms moved from his side she quickly shoved Mikoto is them. "Good idea. I'll go get her. You wait here." she said quickly and ran up the stairs before Sasuke could hurt her.

Sasuke felt panic rush through his body. What was he going to now? When ever he tries to calm her she only freaks more. She simply just doesn't like Sasuke. And Ino knew this. Oh, she was a cruel woman, no beast. She was a cruel beast.

Sasuke began pacing around the living room, hoping it would soothe her like it soothes Seto. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. He tried bouncing her in his arms, like how Sakura does. But that didn't work either. He made shushing noises and she screamed louder. What could he do?

_Sing._ a little voice in his head told him and he mentally scolded himself. That was the stupidest thing he had heard in a long while.

And ran a few more options through his head and tried them, all failing. So at this point, he was desperate- even wishing Ino would come and help him. So he took a deep breathe and racked his brain. What was he going to do?

_Oh star_. The voice said.

Sasuke sighed. He might as well try.

_Oh star fall down on me  
Let me make a wish upon you  
Hold on, let me think  
Think of what I'm wishing for_

He started in a small voice, unsure. Mikoto screams quieted a fraction and Sasuke quickly started up again.

_Wait, don't go away.  
Just not yet.  
Cause I thought,  
I had it.  
But I forget._

_And I won't let you fall away,  
From me.  
You will never fade.  
And I won't let you fall away.  
From me.  
You will never fade away from me. _

_And now I let my dreams consume me,  
And tell me what to think.  
But hold on,  
Hold on.  
What am I dreaming?_

Mikotostopped her crying, instead taking deep, labored breaths after her fit. She stared, entranced, up at Sasuke as he gently swayed her and sang softly.

_Wait, don't go away.  
Just not yet.  
Cause I thought,  
That I had it.  
But I forget._

_And I won't let you fall away,  
From me.  
You will never fade away.  
I won't let you fall away.  
You will never fade away._

Sakura and Ino stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring wide eyed. Sasuke stood with his back to them, quietly singing to the captivated Mikoto. Her face still wet from her tears, as she stared up at Sasuke as he sang. He was surprisingly good. He had a kind of silkily tone, with the words flowing gracefully out of his mouth. He didn't have a deep voice and it wasn't strangely high pitched. It was almost perfect. You could obviously tell that he didn't sing -come on, it's the Sasuke Uchiha- but he seemed to be a kind of natural.

_And I won't let you fall away.  
You will never fade away.  
And I won't let you fall away from me, Y  
ou will never... _

_Oh star fall down on me._

Ino suddenly clapped and Sakura sweat dropped. Leave it to Ino to ruin the moment.

Sasuke quickly whirled around to face them. He had a surprised expression for a moment that quickly faded to embarrassment as Ino continued to clap. He looked away as he felt the back of his neck begin to heat up. There wasn't a lot of times when Sasuke was embarrassed but he still knew the signs. First his neck will heat up and then it will spread to his face and then there was no hiding his blush.

"Shut up." he quickly said, hating how it only made Ino smile more.

"Wow. Who knew the Great Uchiha could sing? And Hey! Mikoto calmed down. She's probably just as shocked as we are that you can sing. Will wonders ever end?" She mocked.

Sakura sighed. Typical Ino. She looked at Sasuke and noticed a slight blush on his face. Ino lucky hadn't noticed yet so Sakura decided to save him. She walked up to him looked down at the small child in his arms. She was still staring at Sasuke, not even blinking. His attention wasn't on her anymore so she was starting to get fussy again.

"Sasuke, I think you have a fan." Sakura said as she continued to stare at the small girl trying to win his attention.

"What?" Sasuke asked as he looked down at the fussy child held to his chest. When she had his attention she instantly calmed and smiled up at him. Sasuke stood dumbfounded for a moment- she had hated him almost moments ago and now has fighting for his attention.

Sakura smiled. "See. I told you that she doesn't hate you." Sasuke rolled his eyes and was about to retort when bent down and laid a gentle kiss on Mikoto's forehead. He watched as she smiled and played with the small child, making her giggle. Sakura was a natural with kids.

"Well now that she's calmed down, let me hold her." Ino said walking over to the couple. Sasuke gratefully passed Mikoto over, not used to holding such a small child. But when Mikoto came to rest in Ino arms, she freaked. She started wiggling in Ino arms and screaming, tears pouring out of her eyes. Ino tried to calm her but with little success.

Sakura was the first to react. She calmly pulled Mikoto into her arms and tried to calm her. The screams stopped almost instantly and Mikoto seemed content.

For all of three seconds.

The small child started to wiggle in Sakura's arms. Sakura held her securely but gently, allowing her to turn her body until Mikoto's little eyes met Sasuke's. She stared at him longingly for a few moments before reaching out toward him. The three teens stood frozen in their spots.

"Wait. Didn't she hate him?" Ino said, thawing out the teens. Sakura walked over to Sasuke and passed the child off to Sasuke, who had a nervous expression on his face. As soon as Mikoto was comfortable, she stared up at Sasuke and smiled, perfectly content where she was.

"Huh? Well, I guess she likes him a lot now." Ino said after a moment. She had half expected for Mikoto to start screaming as soon as Sasuke touched her. That's what did always did before so it was really strange for the sudden change.

"HEY! PARTY PEOPLE! WHERE ARE YOU!?" they heard from the door in a familiar voice. Sakura smiled at their idiotic friend while Sasuke rolled his eyes. Ino stared toward the door, an eyebrow raised. "Party people?" she muttered.

Naruto came waltzing into the room a few seconds later, his signature grin on his face, arms folded behind his head. He took one look at Sasuke holding Mikoto and stopped. He was silent for a moment before grinning again and started for the couch, muttering something about 'that's something you don't see everyday.'

Sasuke rolled his eyes again. "Hey Dobe. I could have swore I locked the door."

"You did, but I picked the lock to get in. You know, I keep telling you to get me a key but you never do."

Sasuke was about to retort but held hid tongue, not wanting to fight with him. Instead he change the subject. "Is there a reason you came over?"

Naruto was quiet for a few beats, intently thinking. "Hmm. . . That's a good question.. . . .I could have swore I had. . . . ." he trailed off. Everyone else in the room sweatdropped. Leave it to Naruto to forget.

"Oh! The group is all meeting up at a restaurant for dinner and I want to know if your going!" Naruto shouted.

Sakura looked over to Sasuke, he shrugged. "Well, we haven't started dinner yet and it does sound fun." she said.

Sasuke suddenly made a face. "You're not going to get ramen, are you?" he said in a disgusted tone.

"Hey what's wrong with ramen!?" Naruto shouted.

"Well is it ramen or not?" Sasuke asked, ignoring Naruto's question.

Naruto narrowed his eyes but answered anyway. "No it's not ramen."

"Well, in that case, we're in." Ino said, raising her fist in the air and smiling.

Sakura smiled and turned to Sasuke. "I'll go get Seto, since you have your hands full." She said, Sasuke nodding in return, and started for the stairs. When she was on the third step she heard Naruto. "What's wrong with ramen?" Sakura smiled. Tonight was going to be fun.

xOx

The small group had left the Uchiha Compound and headed for the restaurant. The restaurant itself was nothing special, but the food was always good. When they arrived at the restaurant, most of the group was already there. It wasn't particularly crowded today, but there was some people there. There was enough empty tables for the group to push them all together to form one large table with enough room for everyone.

Everyone quickly grabbed a seat and ordered. Sasuke and Sakura had grabbed a small baby chair for Mikoto but didn't end up using it. Whenever they tried to put her down, she started to freak. Instead, Sasuke just held her the entire time, as she seemed most comfortable with Sasuke. And sometime during the meal, Seto had crawled up into Sakura's lap and shared her food between them.

The entire group chatted pleasantly and laughed. But of course, when you get them all together there will be a lot of noise. Ino and Naruto always have a hard time staying quiet but when you add Kiba, Lee, and Tenten, who is trying to keep everyone in line, you get a lot of noise.

"You are a lair! That never happened!" Ino shouted, standing up(and almost knocking over Shikamaru's drink in the process. Thanks god for good reflexes.) and pointing a finger at Kiba.

"Why would I lie about that!?" Kiba shouted back, a broad smile on his face.

"I don't know! Because your sick, that's why!" Ino shouted, bright red- from embarrassment or anger, no one knew.

"Your just embarrassed! That's why your freaking out like this. It's because you know it's true!" Kiba said playfully.

Sakura giggled as Ino turned a deeper shade of red, and sucked in a deep breath. Soon everyone laughed when Ino gave up and plopped back down in her chair, in defeat. "Ha! Told you!" Kiba shouted through the laughter.

It wasn't until everyone quieted down a little so they could hear as Kiba launched into another story that Sakura noticed that someone was staring at her. She glanced over her shoulder briefly when she caught someone's stare. As soon as the person noticed that they were spotted, they looked away. Sakura glanced at the table beside them.

The table was filled with four woman. They looked to be in their late teens, early twenties. There was nothing really special about them, civilians form the looks of it. As Sakura studied them, they looked back at her then quickly looked away when they saw she was still looking.

Sakura turned back to her table but blocked everyone out as she strained her ears to listen to the next table.

"So, that's the latest Uchiha." one said.

"Yeah, I had heard that she was young but I had no clue how young." another said. Sakura furrowed her brows. What were they talking about?

"Do you think it's Sakura's?" another one said, Sakura naming the newest female number 3.

"No. She's much to old to be Sakura's. We would have seen if Sakura was pregnant. Plus, it's Sakura we're talking about. She's the Cherry Blossom of Konoha. She would never do that with the Uchiha scum." the last woman, number 4, said. It occurred to her now that they were talking about Mikoto. Sakura instinctively narrowed her eyes. It also didn't help that they were talking about her either, even if it was kind of good things being said, she didn't like it.

"Yeah your right. But then who's kid is it then?" number 2 asked in a hushed tone.

"I don't know. Could be anyone." number 1 said. Anger flared in Sakura. 'Could be anyone". Ha! Sasuke wasn't some kind of man whore.

"I heard it was some hoe. From before he came back to the village. I went to the market the other day and heard some old women talking about it. Apparently, the hoe came into the village and dropped their kid off with Sasuke Uchiha." number 4 said.

Sakura wasn't able to pick out who said what next for they all spoke at the same time. "What!?" "Wow!" "Really!?"

"Yeah, and from what I heard, it's not even the same woman that birthed his first child." number 4 said. Sakura felt her anger rise again. This stupid village and all its gossip. Why couldn't they just mind their own business! That's not what happened and it's a ridiculous story too. They make Sasuke out to sound like some kind of monster. And he isn't! He is a caring boyfriend and a loving father! But if the village can't see that then it isn't rue, is it. But they don't even give him the chance to show that and prove them wrong.

Sakura hadn't noticed that she had been angrily clutching her fork in her hand until she felt a hand rest on hers. Sakura quickly unclenched her hand in surprise and looked up. Sasuke was giving her an understanding look, and she knew he had heard the women as well. He shook his head slowly as if telling to let it go. That it didn't matter. But she couldn't. This village was just unbelievable sometimes. How can they just let this continue?

"Hey!" They suddenly heard that broke them from the little moment they were having. The couple looked up to see that Naruto was the one who had shouted. Except it wasn't to them or anyone else at the table. Sakura quickly noticed that the entire group had fallen silent and were either glaring that the four women or looking at Naruto questionable, seeming to have missed the entire thing.

The women looked up in surprise, not looking like they knew what was going on. Or even knowing it was them Naruto was talking to. They stared at him, as he was turned all the way around in his chair to face them. "Yes you!." he shouted to them, only for the women to look even more surprised and kind of scared.

"You want to Shut Up!? We are trying to enjoy our night because it isn't often that we all can get together and just have fun. But all I can hear is you gossiping and it is ruining my night! We fight to keep this village safe- keep you safe- and this is how you repay us! And second, before you go and start talking about something, make sure you know the facts. Cause none of that bullshit is true! I'm so sick of people acting like they know everything. The truth of the matter is that your just being petty! You have no clue what is going on so stop pretending you do!"

The women stared in shock at Naruto, obviously never had been under Naruto's wrath. Sakura smirked. While Naruto was trying to catch his breath, Sakura took the chance to get her two-sense in. "How dare you! You have no clue what Sasuke has to go through everyday! He made a mistake and no one in this village seems willing to forgive him! And contrary to your beliefs, Sasuke is a damn good father! He isn't some monster like all of you seem to think he is! But no one is willing to see that! You see what you want to see, whether it be the truth or some petty lie that makes you feel better. You have no clue how much I would like to just knock the sense into people like you.

"None of you seem to get it! But what really gets me mad is when people treat Seto or Mikoto different. What the hell is wrong with you when you have to take your misplaced anger for someone out on theirs kids! They're kids! What the hell could kids do to you!? You either treat them like dirt or you avoid them like a plague. You don't know how many times I've gone into the market and was treated differently just because I had one of the kids with me. There is something seriously wrong with this village! And if you want to continue with this dumb shit that is going on then you're going have to deal with me." Sakura said, feeling that her face had turned red with anger with every word she said. She drew in a deep breath of air because she had forgot to breath between her yelling.

"HELL YEAH! YOUR'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH ME, TOO! THA'S MY FAMILY THAT YOU'RE MESSING WITH AND I WON'T TAKE THAT STANDING DOWN!" Naruto screamed.

"You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us." Ino said in a evil tone.

The women coward in fear as everyone from the large table, except the three Uchihas, glared at them. They nodded and quickly pulled out money for their food. They threw the money on the table and ran out of the restaurant. It was when they were exiting that Sakura noticed that the whole restaurant, including the kitchen staff who had came out of the kitchen to watch, were staring at the large group of shinobi.

Sakura took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Once she exhaled, she opened her eyes and glared at anyone else who were staring. Everyone quickly went back to their own business and Sakura smiled. She had been working on her glare lately and she seemed to be getting better at it. Not quite up the Uchiha Glare but still effective.

Everyone was quiet for a moment looking at Sasuke who had been staring at his food the entire time. He looked up after a moment and made eye contact with everyone before nodding, a sort of thank you gesture. Everyone one nodded back with some sort of smile or smirk on there face. It was Neji who spoke first, surprising a lot of them. "We have you back."

Everyone watched at Sasuke and Neji stared at each other intently. Sasuke nodded in understanding, a smirk crossing his face Sakura smiled. She had a good feeling that is Uchiha-Hyuga Police Department thing was going to happen. Sakura glanced at Tenten, who seemed to have the same idea.

Soon, the conversation started up again as Kiba continued his story he was telling before they were interrupted. Sakura took this time to get Sasuke's attention. She placed her hand over his and stared at him. He looked at their hands first before looking into Sakura's eyes. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Sakura leaned over and placed a quick but passionate kiss on his lips.

Suddenly there was a flash. Sasuke and Sakura pulled apart to see that Ino, Hinata, and Tenten were huddled together looking at something. A second later, there was a chorus of 'awe's. Sakura stared at them in confusion before pulling Seto off her lap and into her arms. She quickly made her way over to the other side of the table and looked at Ino camera.

Sakura stared into the little screen and smiled. It was a picture of them, of course. Sasuke and Sakura were in the middle of a passionate kiss, the lights in the restaurant creating a beautiful, but strange glow. Seto was seated on Sakura's lap, staring up at the young couple. Mikoto was gently raddled to Sasuke's chest, her smile visible, like she was posing for the picture. It was almost like a family photo. Sakura's smiled widened. "I want a copy of that."

xOx

Sasuke, Sakura and the kids, one sleeping in each of there arms, walked home. Naruto, Hinata, and Ino had decided to tag along as well, much to Sasuke's dismay. They had an eventfully but fun night and Ino and Naruto didn't want the fun to end. So they moved the party to the Uchiha Compound. Naruto had suggested that they go but the rest had things to do tomorrow. They had only managed to drag Hinata along but she was leaving soon.

They were about to enter the Uchiha District when something came shooting out of the blushes. Naruto screamed like a little girl and was about to attack when Sasuke stopped him. The thing had stopped a few feet away, and Naruto sighed in relief when he saw it was a snake.

"Massster Sssasssuke." The snake hissed while bowing it's head. Sasuke was instantly alert. He nodded to the snake before he spoke. "it's time?" he stated rather than asked. The snake nodded back. "How much time?" Sasuke asked after a moment.

"I sssay about a half hour." the small snake hissed. Sasuke nodded telling it to go and wait at the house, that he'll give him a snack when he gets back. The snake nodded and shot forward and disappeared in seconds.

Sasuke turned to Sakura and stared into her suddenly worried expression. Naruto exchanged a look, wondering how it was suddenly so serious when they were just laughing moments ago. "What's going on?" Naruto asked with a serious face.

Sasuke just glanced at him before turning back to Sakura. "I'll explain it to them when we get home." she said. Sasuke nodded and passionately kissed her. Naruto and Ino watched in confusion as Sasuke and Sakura spit apart, and Sasuke suddenly kiss Seto's sleeping head. Sakura then kiss Mikoto was well before looking into Sasuke's eyes. They stared at each other for a moment before sharing one more kiss.

When they spit apart again, Sasuke turned and ran into the Uchiha Compound, careful not to jostle the sleeping Mikoto in his arms. Naruto and Ino stared in confusion as Sakura walked him go staring after him even after he disappeared from view.

"What the hell is going on?" Naruto finally asked.

Sakura finally looked away and looked at them. She turned with a serious face and started for the house. "Come, I'll explain when we get home."

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**Sorry! So Sorry! I didn't mean to leave you withanother cliff-hanger! Really i didn't. But i started typing this out and it turned out so much longer then i had planned that it just seemed silly to continue. I had planned to have the Itchai thing in this chapter but that didn't really work out. i'm so sorry. I feel so bad!**

**Oh and the song. It's called Oh Star by Paramore. I know that the singer from Paramore is a girl but i really like the song. So when Sasuke is singing it, it's not quiet the same as when Hayley Williams sings it but you get the point. Like some of the notes would be lower and the some parts wouldn't have the same emotion in it. But still, it's my story so i win. lol j/k**

**Oh i have i freakin cold! Why is it that i always get sick!? Gah!**

**Well i hope you reviewand tell me what you think. I would really enjoy to hear from you. I'll make me feel so much better. Well until next time.**

Enjoy.

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	15. Chapter 15

**Well, hello there. so i felt super guilty for leaving you with another cliffhanger that the moment i posted the last chapter, i started writing this one. So i've been wroking on this alot. I was up till 3 last night writing in my cold basement when i should have been sleeping off my cold. But i didn't feel like sleeping. I've was determined to get this chapter up. Yuppers. A super quick update. Londest chapter yet, too, i think.**

**So thanks to all that have reviewed. Really it meants the world to me. **

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Sasuke sat in the cold, dusty living room of the old Uchiha Manor, waiting for his older brother. As soon as he had got the news, Sasuke had ran home. He quietly grabbed a large blanket and the baby carrier and headed to the house of his nightmares.

Once inside, he had securely wrapped Mikoto but in the blanket so that she wouldn't be cold in the house now that the winter months were almost upon them. Once he was sure that she was warm he placed her in the carrier, again making sure she was comfortable. He had watched her sleep for a few moments afterward before moving her into the next room. He didn't want her to be in the room when Itachi came. He wanted to be able to talk to him a little and having a baby in the room would probably stop that.

He felt guilty now. He had spent the entire night with her in his arms, never once putting her down. Now she was in a cold room of an abandoned house. He knew it was silly of him to be feeling this way but he couldn't help it. He had grown attached to her without knowing it. He couldn't even bring himself to close the door when he left her.

But now he just had to wait. Wait for his possibly dangerous brother to come to him. To come into the house where an innocent baby was peacefully dreaming. To come feet from the sleeping child. To come meters from his new home. To Seto, Sakura, Naruto, Ino, Hinata. He was possibly putting the entire village in danger. After all, he had promised not to contact him. Had promised the hokage _and _Itachi himself.

And now he just had to wait and see how it all played out.

Sasuke listened for any signs that his brother had arrived, but heard none. He heard movement from the next room and froze. He listened more intently, and sighed. It sounded like Mikoto was just making noises in her sleep. But to be sure he went to check.

She was still sleeping, to Sasuke's relief. He hated to think what he would do if Mikoto wake up before Itachi arrived. He would probably have to hold her and he didn't want his brother to see him for the first time in years be with Mikoto in his arms.

Sasuke checked for any signs that she might wake up soon. Once again, to his relief she seemed like she was out for the night. Or actually about like 3 in the morning since she liked to wake him up at that time screaming her lungs out. He pulled the blanket more tightly around her, his nervousness the cause of his obsession with making her she was warm. It was easier to worry about her then worry about what might happen soon. He took a deep breath and watched her sleep for a moment, before giving her a quick kiss on the head and walking out.

As he walked into the dark living room, he froze. Leaning against the far wall was a figure. It took a moment for Sasuke's heart to restart but he played it cool. He was only frozen for a few seconds before moving forward and jumping over the back of the couch- like he used to do as a kid- and very casually leaned into it. But for some reason, he knew that Itachi didn't buy it. It was probably because of that smirk that formed on Itachi's lips.

Ignoring this Sasuke spoke first. "Well, long time no see." he said, although his voice portrayed no emotions.

He was greeted with silence, the smirk that had been on Itachi's lips now gone. Sasuke stared at him for a moment studying him. He looked just liked he remembered. The same cold, emotionless man that he had known for years. Sasuke felt a chill creep down his spine but shook it off. Instead, he turned his attention to the same coffee table in front of him. He grabbed the glass of water that he had grabbed to calm his nerves earlier and gently swished it, watching it's contents splash the sides.

Seeing how Itachi wasn't going to respond, Sasuke moved on. Sort of. "Right." he mumbled, dragging out the word out of nervousness. He didn't know how to start. He hadn't really thought about it. Itachi watched him squirm, just watching and waiting, never saying anything. He find of felt bad watching his little brother struggle but he was to worried about the reason why he was here to care to much.

"So, the Hyuga asked me to consider reopening the police department with him as my partner." Sasuke said, not know what else to say. He mentally scolded himself. That was a dumb thing to say. It had nothing to do with anything. But it was the only thing that he could think of saying, no matter how stupid it was.

He was greeted with silence back. Sasuke mentally sighed. Right when he was about to move on, Itachi spoke. "Is that why you called me here?"

Sasuke stared at him for a moment, speaking the first words that popped into his head. "Finally. He speaks. Who would have thought it possible?"

Itachi glared back at him. What was his problem? Why was he called here? Does he understand the risks of him being there? Surely he thought he would have. His brother may be foolish but he wasn't stupid. So, this couldn't be about the police department.

Sasuke stared back at his brother before sighing. "No. This isn't about the police department."

"Are you in trouble?" Itachi said before Sasuke could organize his thoughts.

Sasuke stared at him in bewilderment. Trouble? No. Sure, he was probably way in over his head with raising one boy and one girl but he had help. Sakura was great with the kids and Ino was there-although he shutters to think about it-and Naruto. So, no.

"No."

Itachi felt his anger flare. If he wasn't in trouble then what the hell way he doing here!? He was putting Seto in risk just by being by Konoha! So why the hell would hid brother call him here? Just to chat? Foolish Little Brother! Maybe he was stupid after all.

"Then what am I doing here?" he said, feeling some of his anger leak out into his words. Sasuke stared back at him in shock, obviously hearing his anger.

"We need to talk." he said, sounding dazed as he continued to stare at him in with a shocked expression.

"Talk." he hissed back rather loudly, his anger growing. He was here to talk!

Sasuke tensed at his words. Everything went quiet in the room as Sasuke listened for any sign that Itachi might have awoken Mikoto. Itachi stared at him, inwardly questioning why he tensed up and why he was acting so strangely.

After a moment, Sasuke relaxed. He took a sip of his water before setting the glass down. He turned fully to face Itachi and straightened his position. Clearly, his attempt at small talk didn't work so he might as well just get to the point. He cleared his throat and began. "Look, I'll cut the crap. There has been a change in our little. . . . situation. . . .that I felt you had the right to know about."

Itachi stared back at him, waiting for him to continue. A change in the situation. . .hmm. . . Sasuke seemed to be struggling with what to say next and Itachi felt his impatience growing. Sasuke finally sighed, seeming to have given up trying to figure something out and suddenly stood up and jumped over the back of the couch. Itachi watched as Sasuke retreated to the room he was in when he arrived. But what was he doing in there. When he had arrived, he was kind of shocked not to find him waiting in the living, instead doing something in the next room. And now he went in again. Itachi panicked a little, not liking not knowing what was going on.

Sasuke resurfaced moments later, carefully carrying something by the handle. He walked around to the front of the couch, a first since they were little kids, and gently placed the thing on the ground in front of him. He then seated himself and bent over the object. Itachi watched in amazement when Sasuke straightened out, gently cradling a bundle in his arms. Sasuke stared down at the bundle for awhile, a strange adoring look in his eyes. It was the most emotion, besides anger, that he had seem his brother display for years.

Sasuke looked up at him moments later with a smirk on his face. "come." he said as he gestured with his head as well. Itachi stood frozen before carefully walking over. He stood behind the couch, hovering slightly over him. And from this view that's when he saw it.

A little baby wrapped in a pink blanket.

His mind whirled as he tried to process this new information. There was no doubt that it was an Uchiha, appearance alone proved that. But how? When? The child didn't look very old, maybe a few months. This was the reason for him being here. Another Uchiha brought into this world by his little brother.

"I named her Mikoto.", Sasuke suddenly said, knocking Itachi out of his thoughts. "I saw a baby picture of Mom and they look almost identical, so i thought it only fit. I hope you don't mind."

Confusion washed over Itachi. Why would be care if his brother named his niece after their mother? Was it because he had killed her? Did he think it would bother him?

Sasuke stared up at his older brother. He had the same emotionless face on and it threw off Sasuke. He had expected for him to get the same look on his face as when he saw Seto for the first time. But he stared down at his only daughter now and nothing. Pain gripped Sasuke. Was Mikoto destined to go through what he went through? Living in the shadow of an older sibling. Having a father that played favorites.

Sasuke forced his eyes away from Itachi. Disgust suddenly filled his body. He couldn't stand to look at his brother. As soon as Mikoto was dropped into his world he had vowed to never do what his father did to him! And he had assumed that Itachi would do the same. But he should have known better. Like they always say. Like father like son. Sasuke instantly regretted bring Itachi here. He was disgusted to be in his presence now.

"And the mother is. . ." Itachi suddenly said, trailing off at the end. Sasuke looked up at him, surprise overshadowing his anger and disgust for a moment. "Akina, of course." Sasuke said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Itachi froze for a moment. Akina!? His Akina! A feeling of betrayal swept through him. His own brother had went behind his back with his women. The mother of his child was now the mother of his brother's as well. But how? When ever they were together Sasuke seemed to hate her. He hadn't even tried to hide this fact. So why would he. . . . . .?

Sasuke stared up at Itachi, confused by his reaction. He had just suddenly tensed up and got a distant look in his eyes. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Yeaaaah." he said to get Itachi's attention back. When he was sure that he was paying attention he continued. "She came by almost a month ago and just dropped her off. She was calling her 'kid' and 'it' for two months. I don't see what you see in her. She's just a crazy slut to me. But you clearly see something in her to have two kids with her." He said, letting his own anger leak out but careful not to wake Mikoto.

Itachi processed this new information. The baby was his? He had a daughter? Relief flood through him, followed by confusion and panic. A daughter! He didn't know anything about girls. But at least Akina didn't cheat on him, right?

Sasuke watched as the information processed. Then slowly he saw what he was looking for. The emotion in his eyes. The same look that he had when he first saw Seto. Sasuke took a deep breath. Maybe he had judged Itachi to soon. Maybe he just need time to except the fact that he had a daughter. It was something really big to spring on him.

"Can I hold her?" he asked after a moment. Sasuke smirked. It was a good thing she was asleep. She was kind of picky about who held her. Sasuke just nodded in response and carefully handed her over.

Itachi held her perfectly in his arms as he slowly swayed her. Sasuke watched him carefully, ready to take her back in any moment.

Itachi held her for awhile, pacing around the room many times. Sasuke had relaxed and was now casually leaning over the back of the couch, watching as Itachi stood by the window and letting the moonlight bathe Mikoto. They stayed like that for awhile, Sasuke looked at his watch noticing that it had been an hour and half.

"Where's Seto?" Itachi asked, stilling staring at Mikoto's sleeping face. He was trying to memorize every inch. And he wanted to see his son. See how much he's grown.

"At home. Sleeping probably. He was sleeping when I left."

Itachi finally looked at his baby brother. He seemed perfectly at ease just sitting on the couch. But how could he? He had left Seto all alone at home for a while now. Shouldn't he be worried at all?

"Can I see him?" he asked. Sasuke was silent for a moment, measuring his options. He seemed to be good, like he would behave. But did he really want to bring him to his house? Where Sakura and Naruto were. He wouldn't try anything with Seto, that's for sure. But what about the rest of his family.

"I'm asking you politely." Itachi said. Sasuke glared back. Looks like Itachi wasn't giving him much options. He said that he was asking but really Sasuke knew what he meant. He meant that he was asking now, but if he refused , Itachi would still go. He was going to see his kid and there was nothing to stop him.

Sasuke sighed. "Fine. But don't try anything funny."

xOx

Sakura sat nervously at the kitchen table. She had arrived home shortly after Sasuke had left where she explained what was happening to Ino, Naruto, and Hinata. Naruto wasn't to happy that Sasuke was alone with him but he understood. They all understood that it was something that the brothers had to sort out, but still they were not happy.

Sakura glanced into the living room. She hadn't been able to take Seto upstairs to his room like she should have. She just needed to be able to see him. So she had put him on the couch and got him pillow and covered him up. She then had sat that the one seat in the kitchen that had a good view of him.

She nervously stirred her tea. Naruto sat across from her tapped on the table top, somehow staying quiet. Hinata had seated herself next to him and had been fiddling with her fingers for the entire time. She was due home hours ago and although Sakura had insisted that she should go home before she got in trouble, she wouldn't go. Ino had seated herself on the countertop and was eating some peanut butter right out of the jar, not even bothering to get a spoon.

Sakura sighed again and glanced at the clock. They had left the restaurant at 10 and had arrived home at 10:30-ish. The clock it was almost midnight now. She was getting extremely worried.

The sound of the door opening filled the silent house. Naruto instantly shot up from his seat, but remained by the table. Hinata and Ino both straightened out but otherwise stayed still. Sakura had tensed for a moment, before her spoon had slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor. At the sound of the spoon hitting the floor, the noises by the door stopped. Itachi froze at the sound, one shoe off his foot. Sasuke froze as well as he measured Itachi. After a moment Sasuke continued with his shoes before picking the carrier, that he had set down, back up. Itachi stood completely still, as Sasuke simply ignored him and walked casually into the kitchen.

Sakura was just overwhelmed when Sasuke waltzed into the kitchen, like nothing had happened. Relief, happiness, confusion, anxiety, and so much more. He walked over to the table and placed the baby carrier down on the table. Sakura quickly examined her. She seemed unharmed. In fact, she was peacefully sleeping.

"So. . ." Naruto asked.

Sasuke looked at him briefly before turning back to Mikoto. He fixed the blanket, making sure she was still bundled . "So what?" he said, indifferently. Sakura stared at him strangely, he was never like this anymore. He would have come to her side and give her a kiss or a least a hug. But he just ignored her. And he was acting very indifferently. Sakura's mind whirled. She knew what this meant. Her eyes flashed toward the living room and saw Seto still sleeping. But she stared at the door still, waiting.

But nothing happened. Sakura listened to Naruto pound Sasuke with questions and Sasuke deflect them. This went on for a few more moments before Sakura finally decide to speak up. "So is he going to come in or stand at the door all night?" she asked, doing her best to try and sound indifferent as well. Everyone in the room turned to her and stared. "What?" Naruto mumbled.

"I don't know. I didn't warn him that you were here so he was probably just caught off guard. He's a careful person. He's probably assessing you all before he decides if it's too dangerous. But since you noticed him, he'll probably come in soon." explained Sasuke.

Naruto stared at him and then turned back to Sakura. He studied her for a moment then turned back to Sasuke. "Wait. He's here. Do you think that's a good idea?"

Sasuke just shrugged. Silence engulfed the kitchen again. Moments later they heard shuffling by the door, Itachi taking off his shoes. Everyone was completely still as they waited for Itachi to come in, except Sasuke who was shuffling around the room, digging through the fridge.

Ino watched Sasuke carefully. He seemed to be the picture of ease so she didn't know what to expect to happen. Itachi was a dangerous man and she had expected for Sasuke to be tense about this. Instead, he was kind of acting like it was Naruto who was about to come through the door.

Ever so silently, Itachi came into view. He took in the people quickly. He had known that there was a woman, and he knew Naruto was in the kitchen but he didn't even realize that there were two extra women, as well. They had been perfectly still, not making any noises that he had completely missed their presence when he was by the door. He stopped in the doorway and accessed the situation again, adding the two into the equation.

He studied them all and noticed that they seemed tense. It was understandable. His eyes lingered on Naruto for a moment before moving on to his little brother. He was digging through the fridge. After a moment he caught his stare and glanced up to meet his brother's eyes. They were stilled for a moment before Sasuke closed his eyes when a large yawn erupted for him. Itachi stared at his brother and wondered why he was so relaxed at the moment.

Sasuke pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge and tossed to Itachi. "Thirsty?" he asked as Itachi caught it easily. Sasuke then closed the fridge and walked over to the table. He glanced down before picking up the spoon and set in on the table. He was fully aware that all eyes were on him as he grabbed Sakura's tea from the table and took a sip. His nose scrunched up and he made a sour face. "It's too sweet. How do you drink that?" He said very normally. He was acting like there was nothing happening. Like there was no reason to be alarmed. Sasuke stared at her for a moment before she got was he was doing.

He was acting as if there was nothing wrong. He was trying to calm everyone down and make the situation easier.

Sakura smiled, playing along. "No, I think's it's perfect. Your just weird." she said mockingly. He smirked at her back, giving her a look that said 'thank you'. No one noticed the look. Sasuke and Sakura were just so close that they could understand each other by a simple look.

"No. You're the weird one. It is way too sweet. Did you pour the whole sugar container into it or something?"

"Ha. Very funny." she said to Sasuke before tuning her attention to Hinata. She slid the cup over to the young Hyuga heiress and smiled. "Hinata take a sip. Is it too sweet?"

Hinata stared at Sakura for a moment, trying to understand what was going on. Sakura gave her an encouraging look. Hinata slowly took the cup into her hands and brought it to her lips. She took a quick sip before setting it down. All eyes were on her as she spoke, causing her to blush. "I think it's fine." she said nervously.

Sakura smiled triumphantly. "Ha! See! I told you!" She said to Sasuke, who had walked over to the counter and pulled the jar of peanut butter out of Ino hands. "Your both insane then." He said over his shoulder before turning to Ino. "Why would you eat it out of the jar? Do you know how gross that is? You could have at least used a spoon." He said before glancing into the half empty jar. "It has your germs everywhere now."

Ino scowled. "Puh-lease. I'm not 2 years old. I don't need your lecture. Plus, I knew that if I used my hands it would bug you more." she smiled the last part with a broad smile.

Sasuke stopped his walking, now standing in the middle of the kitchen. He glared at Ino for a moment before tossing the jar into the garbage. Ino mouth fell open and she stared at Sasuke in disbelief. "What'd you do that for?! That jar was half full! You just wasted perfectly good peanut butter! Geez. Who knew you were such a germ freak?"

"I'm not a germ freak. I just don't want to catch anything from you. Who knows where you've been."

Ino glared at him before suddenly grabbing the nearest bunt object, which happened to be a fork, a threw at Sasuke's head. Luckily, Sasuke ducked and it hit the fridge and clattered to the floor. Ino glared back at Sasuke as he just stared back smirking at her, tempting her to try again. Naruto laughed at them, the face Ino was making was hilarious.

Right when she grabbed the knife, Sakura walked between them, heading toward the sink with her now empty cup. "Alright you two, that's enough. You can kill each other later. We have a guest and your being rude."

Sasuke nodded, gave one more mocking look at Ino before he turned to his brother. Itachi was studying them carefully, probably not used to seeing Sasuke interact with others. "Right. So Itachi, you remember Naruto, I assume. Well, this is Sakura, Hinata, and the beast over here is Ino." he informed Itachi, receiving a glare from Ino. Itachi ignored the introduction for the most part, he wasn't really interested in any of them.

Sasuke just moved on. "Well, let's get down to it. Follow me." he said and started for the door but was interrupted by Sakura.

"He's asleep in the living room." She told Sasuke. Sasuke glanced back at her and nodded before heading into the living room, Itachi right on his heals.

They stepped into the dark living room and stopped a foot from the couch. Sasuke looked Itachi in the eyes, a sort of warning, before stepping aside. Itachi glanced at Sasuke for a moment before moving forward. He looked at the small form on the couch and froze. He had grown so much.

Itachi stared down lovingly at his son before gently bending down. He stroked Seto's cheek gently before he brushed a few stray strands of hair away from his face.

"You know, if he grew out his hair longer, he would look just like you." Sasuke said, watching him. Itachi glanced up at his brother, noticing that he was very relaxed, before turning back to Seto, a few strands of hair twisted between his fingers.

"Yeah. He's a great kid. A ball of sunshine, really. You know, he wakes me up almost every morning, 5 o'clock on the dot." he said. Itachi smirked, imagining it. "Put him in day-care, too. He makes friends easily and is well liked by all the adults that watch him. Apparently, a lot of the girls like him, as well. I had expected as much though. It's in the Uchiha blood."

xOx

Sakura sat nervously again. Sasuke and Itachi had gone into the living an hour ago and they still hadn't come back. They could hear quiet mumbling from the next room but nothing else. It was like they were talking, for they hadn't angrily raised their voices or attacked each other. In fact, Sasuke had stood for while before he actually sat on the ground, and leaned against the couch, looking very relaxed.

So it couldn't be going badly. But she hated that he had to be in there alone. She wanted to badly to go to him, and wrap her arms around him. She wanted to be with him through all of this.

Sakura straightened out in her chair when she saw Sasuke get up. He went over to Seto hand gently pulled him into his arms, careful not to wake him. Seto automatically pulled his arms up and wrapped them around Sasuke's neck, cuddling into him. Sakura smiled at this. Even in his sleep, he clung to Sasuke.

Sasuke carried Seto up the stairs, Itachi once again following on his heels. Sasuke walked into Seto's room and gently placed him on the bed. He had noticed that he was still dressed so he quickly went over to the dresser and pulled out his pajamas. Itachi leaned the far wall and watched as Sasuke dressed Seto and pulled the cover him. He tucked him in securely before kissing his forehead and turning on the nightlight. He then walked out the door and waited for Itachi to follow.

Itachi lingered in the room briefly before following suit. Once outside, Sasuke closed the door and sighed. He glanced at his watch for moment before speaking. "It's already too late for you to leave. If you leave now, you will most likely get caught. Your best bet is to stay the night. You can leave tomorrow night when it's safe."

Itachi considered his words and decided he was right. He surly would be caught if he left now. He nodded to Sasuke. Sasuke nodded back in return and spoke. "There are two guest rooms open. You can have one." he said before turning and walking down the stairs talking to himself now. "Ino and Hinata will have to share the other one. Naruto will get the couch, I guess."

Sasuke walked back into the kitchen and went straight to the table. Mikoto was still sleeping peacefully in the baby carrier. Itachi followed Sasuke in as well but stood by the wall. Sasuke stifled a yawn before he turned to everyone.

"Is it bed time for little Sasuke?" Naruto asked. Sasuke glared back at him for a moment, before smirking. "Yeah, and your sleeping on the couch tonight."

"What?! Just because of that one joke! That's so mean, Teme."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "No, your on the couch because there is no room anywhere else."

Naruto glared at him. "How do you figure?"

"Well, there are five bedrooms in the house. Seto and Mikoto each have their own, and then there are two guests bedrooms and the master. So really there's only two open rooms. Itachi has one. And Ino already has staked a claim on the other. Hinata will just room with Ino for the night and that leaves the couch. Unless you want to sleep in the bathtub." Sasuke explained, causing Naruto's glare to deepen at the last part.

"But why can't Ino sleep on the couch!?" Naruto fought.

Ino laughed, still sitting on the counter, now finishing a small salad. Sasuke looked at her and glared. There were cherry tomatoes in her salad. Oh, she was good. Good at pushing his buttons. "Ha! I was here first. Plus, you wouldn't make a lady sleep on the couch, would you?" she asked, ignoring Sasuke glare.

Naruto frowned. "lady? Puh-lease. I don't see a lady." he muttered, causing Ino to glare at him. Naruto ignored her pouted. He didn't want to sleep on the couch.

"Why are you making such a big fuss about this, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Naruto frowned. He looked like a two year trying to get his way. "You guys are shoving me on the couch. It's so small and it's going to be uncomfortable!"

Sakura sighed. "Naruto, the couch is fine. And I should know. I fall asleep on it all the time. And don't even start about it being too small. Sasuke and I have slept there the entire night. If the couch can hold both of us, laying down, then I think you should be good for one night." Sakura said. Itachi stared at her when she said that, which went unnoticed by everyone. They've slept on the couch together?

Itachi studied her for a moment. She was a small thing, about a head shorter than Sasuke. She had a kind face, and bright green eyes. Now that he really looked at her, she was actually very attractive. She was leaning against the table, next to Sasuke. They were standing rather close to each other and he found himself wondering exactly how close she was to his little brother.

"Well, then why don't you two stay on the couch tonight and I'll stay in the master suite." Naruto suggested. Sakura shook her head and Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Why would both of us stay on the couch while you get the entire king sized bed to yourself?" Sakura asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Fine. How about Teme gets the couch, Ino and Hinata room together, and then you and me share the master suite?" Naruto suggested again.

Sasuke glared at him. Hell no. Sakura liked to sleep in small tank tops and booty shorts. Like hell she was sharing a bed with another man. "No. Your not kicking me out of my own bed."

Naruto did his 'thinking pose'-one arm crossed over his chest while the his pointer and thumb held his chin- and thought for a moment. "Fine. How about Hinata and I get the guest room, Ino and Sakura in the master suite, and you on the couch."

Sasuke just at Naruto in disbelief for a moment before speaking. "I'm still getting kicked out of my bed."

Naruto gave Sasuke a knowing look. "But we both know that your not worried about being kicked out of your bed. You just don't want Sakura and I to share a bed." he mocked.

Sasuke glared at him. How did the Dobe figure that out. He can't even figure out that Hinata likes him but he can see right through him! "Shut up! You get the couch. End of story."

Itachi stared Sasuke and this Sakura. So they share a bed. So they must be close. Sasuke was very overprotective of this girl. Was it possible that his foolish little brother has finally gotten himself a girlfriend?

Naruto pouted and was about to continue to fight when Sasuke's eyes bleed to red. Naruto looked at him and sighed. That meant he wasn't changing his mind and he wasn't going to hear anymore about it. Or else. "Where is the extra blankets and pillows?" He asked sourly. Sasuke smirked. Sakura shook her before going to retrieve said things.

Sasuke then grabbed the baby carrier and walked up stairs, gesturing for Itachi to follow. He lead him to a door and looked at it. "That's your room." He said, opening the door and switching on the light. He then continued down the hall before disappearing in another room. Itachi followed, curious.

Itachi stood in the door way and stared into a pink room. The room was completely furnished for a baby, with bunnies and other animals everywhere. Sasuke had place the carrier on the ground and was now lifting Mikoto out of the carrier and putting her in the crib. After checking that she was comfortable, he turned and took the carrier and put it to the side.

He picked up around the room briefly before turning and walking out. He turned off the light and closed the door. They were the only ones in the hallway and they just stared at each other for a moment before Itachi turned and Started for his room. "Hey Itachi." Sasuke suddenly said, making him freeze. He glanced at him over his shoulder. He had a cold look on his face. "Don't try anything. Your in a house full of ninja's. I'm trusting you. Don't make me regret it."

Itachi was still for a moment before he nodded and went on his way, Sasuke doing the same.

xOx

Sasuke splashed water on his face. Today was very tiring. And he just wanted it to end. No doubt tomorrow was going to be worse. He sighed and dried his face. He turned off the light to the bathroom and walked into the bedroom. Sakura was already in her pajamas, sitting on the bed waiting for him. He quickly stripped his shirt and pants before climbing into bed, exhausted.

Sakura cuddled up next to him and sighed. Today was hard for her too. And it felt so much better to be in Sasuke's arms, her new comfort zone. She always felt so loved, so protected in his arms. Like nothing could touch them. "So did you get to talk to him?"

"Yeah. I caught him up in all that he's missed in Seto's and Mikoto's life. He loves them both dearly. But he'll never admit it."

Sakura nodded. She could tell that she wasn't going to get much more out of him on the subject, by his tone so she dropped it. But it was okay. She was perfectly content with just laying in his arms.

Suddenly, the sound of crying and screaming filled the air and they both sighed. "I'll get it." Sasuke said, getting before Sakura could refuse. He quickly just grabbed a zip-up hoodie, not bothering with any pants. It was nigh time, no one was wondering around..

As he walked down the hall toward Mikoto's room, a door opened. Sasuke stifled his surprise and kept going. Itachi stood in his doorway shirtless, looking like he was going to tend to Mikoto. Sasuke stopped and glanced at him. "I got it."

Itachi stared at him for a moment before nodding and going back into his room. As he closed the door, the only sound in the house was Sasuke walking into Mikoto's room and crying. "Hey sweetheart." He heard quietly. Soon, the cries stopped.

Itachi laid back down and listened. At first he heard Sasuke calming her, then he heard something that pained his heart. It was so long ago, he doubted that Sasuke even remembered. Remembering it know made him felt the bittersweet sadness to ache in his entire body.

_Oh star fall down on me_

Their mother used to sing that to them when Sasuke was just a little baby_._

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**Well, i hope i didn't disapoint. I'm worried that i didn't make a very convincing Itachi. I enjoyed writing some parts of this chapter and hated writing other parts. So tell me what you think. I really need your feed back. Also, i have no clue what to do next. Ideas? Please, i would love to hear them.**

**On a sidenote, i'm done with finals. No more GYM! Life is beautiful! Well until next time.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Ello. Sorry it took longer to get this one out. Now, i personally hate this chapter. It just came out completely wrong. And after you read this you will know what i mean. This chapter sucks. It's a big pile of useless poop. But actually this is chapter 18 version 2. The first version was even worse. But that's why it took longer to get out. I wrote chapter 18 and it sucked so i chucked it out and restarted. and then this poop came out and i don't know.**

* * *

Needless to say, Sasuke didn't get much sleep that night. It had took Mikoto half an hour to fall sleep but Sasuke couldn't put her down. He sat in the rocking chair for an hour and half after she had fallen asleep, just holding her. When he had finally put her in crib, he had checked on Seto, again, resurfacing from the room much later.

By this time, there was no point to go to bed. Instead he had when down to the kitchen. Knowing he was going to need a lot of coffee, he quickly made a cup. He peeled the hoodie from his body before he went to stand by the door. He gazed out into the backyard and watched the sun rise, slowly drinking his coffee.

Sasuke jumped slightly when he felt skinny arms wrap around his waist. He didn't need to turn to know who it was. He smirked, lightly holding her arm and took another sip while she pressed her face against his bare back.

"You scared me." He admitted, feeling her smile against his skin. It wasn't often that you scare the Great Sasuke Uchiha.

They stood content for a moment before Sasuke felt Sakura frown suddenly. He tried to look behind him, failing to see her expression. He waited for her to speak, gently stroking her arm. "You never came back to bed." she mumbled into his back.

"I know. But I don't think I would have been able to sleep even if I tried." he whispered, remembering that Naruto was asleep in the next room. Not to mention his mysterious brother upstairs.

Sasuke felt Sakura's frown deepen. "You know, you shouldn't stay up like that. You had a interesting day yesterday. Your body needs to rest. Staying up all night is not good." she whispered back, feeling that his body was unusually lax, almost as if he was so tired that this was the best his body could do. Like he was about to drop dead where he stood.

Sasuke just sluggishly shrugged, causing Sakura to sigh. Sasuke felt her begin to pull away and he turned to her alarmed, thinking she was mad. She walked over to the counter and opened the cabinet. Pulling out a cup she poured herself some coffee as well. When she was done adding to the cup, she walked toward the table. She pulled a pair of neatly folded sweatpants from the tabletop, tossing it at him. "I brought you down some pants. You probably wouldn't want anyone to wake up and see you in your underwear." she said with a smile.

Sasuke smirked and set down his cup so he could get dressed. She knew him well. When he was covered more, he snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. She smiled up at him, pressing her hands against the planes of his toned chest. He removed one hand from her waist and brought it up to gently stroke her cheek. He smirked smugly when heat started to rise to her cheeks.

They stared into each others eyes' for a moment before Sakura lifted her herself on her toes and craned her neck to gently brush her lips with his. She pulled away quickly, causing Sasuke to frown. Before she could completely pull away Sasuke leaned down and captured her lips again.

This kiss was longer than the last but still longer than others they shared. It was a simply but passionate kiss. Sasuke sluggishly pulled back, gave Sakura a smirk, and grabbed his coffee again before returning to the door. Sakura smiled to herself before sitting down at the table, grabbing the newspaper and going straight to the crossword. She was good at them, with all the useless knowledge should gained over the years being put to use.

Maybe ten minutes into the puzzle, Ino and Hinata came into the kitchen and greeting the couple. Ino went straight to the table, snatching Sakura's coffee as she past. Sakura rolled just rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the crossword. Moments later Hinata joined them at the table with her glass of orange juice. Hinata, Naruto and Seto were the only ones in the house that enjoyed some juice in the morning rather than coffee.

The girls chatted quietly for a few minutes Ino turned her attention to Sasuke. He remained in the same place Since the girls had entered, never moving an inch. He was more like a statue off to the side rather than an actual person. "Hey, you going to make breakfast or what?"

Sasuke ignored her, still unmoving. Ino narrowed her eyes. "Hey don't ignore me! You've ignored me since I came in this morning. Come you think about it, you haven't moved an inch at all. Hey Sasuke! Grunt if your alive." She shouted. Sakura and Hinata just stared at her. She was an odd one. Everyone had their attention elsewhere that they didn't notice someone walk into the kitchen and silently pour himself a cup of coffee.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and snorted at Ino's childish antics. Ino raised an eyebrow at his snort for a moment before shrugging it off, muttering 'close enough' before turning her attention to Sakura. "Sakura, I don't think he's going to make breakfast." she whined, while pouting like a child that didn't get their way.

"Chill Ino. It's too early for your antics." Sakura said before getting up and grabbing Sasuke hoodie and her empty cup from the table. She ignored Ino's comments about how it's their own fault that everyone in this house wakes up too damn early.

She walked over to Sasuke. She snaked her arms around his waist again and gently kissed his bare back. Sasuke chuckled slightly and brought one of her hands up to met his lips. Sakura smiled into his back before handing him his hoodie and pulling away. She was going to go put her cup in the sink but stopped.

"Holy shit!" she said while she jumped in surprise. Itachi smirked at her reaction. He was leaning against the counter and it seemed like no one had noticed his entrance. Well, they sure knew he was there now that this Sakura girl had noticed him.

It took a moment for Sakura's heart to restart. When the hell did he get in here? And how much had he heard? He probably had seen Sasuke and Sakura moments before so she found herself blushing.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder and eyed the two. Itachi was still smirking and Sakura was trying to calm herself. After a moment Sakura regained her composure and started for the sink again. She stood right next to Itachi's relaxed form painfully aware that he was studying her face. She tried her best to ignore him but when she was done rinsing out her cup she glanced at him.

Itachi noticed her discomfort. She glanced up at him from the corner of her eye. But instead of quickly looking away like he had suspected, she met his glaze evenly. They held this for a moment before she actually turned and faced him fully, never breaking eye contact. Her glaze was intense for a few beats before her eyes suddenly softened. She then boldly did something that shocked him.

She smiled.

It was a perfect smile. You could tell it wasn't some fake smile to cover up some unwanted emotions like fear, or even nervousness. Her entire face lit up. Her captivating emerald eyes was gleaming, and her lips pulled back to reveal her perfect white teeth. It wasn't a big smile, it was kind and caring.

Itachi stared in shock as she simply turned and continued with her business. She put the cup into the on the counter and went to the fridge, scanning over its contents. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Pancakes!" a small unfamiliar suddenly said, causing Itachi to turn his attention toward the noise. He was greeted with the sight of his smiling three-year old.

It was at this moment that Sasuke finally stepped away from the door. He walked over to the table and placed his cup down. As soon as Sasuke's hands were free, Seto quickly flew into them. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and hugged him tightly. Sasuke just smiled in response. "Good morning, Buddy." he said after a moment.

"Good Morning!" Seto said with a wide smile on his face before he turned his attention to something that caught his eye. Itachi.

Seto blankly stared at Itachi for a few moments, studying him. The room grew quiet suddenly as they watched and waiting to see how Seto would react. Sasuke's heart shipped a beat when he heard Seto speak. "Daddy?" he said in a questionable tone.

Time seemed to slow as everyone took in his words. Sasuke didn't know how to process this. What was going to happen now? Suddenly Seto turned to look Sasuke in the eyes. "Daddy, who is that man? Why does he look like you?" she asked him.

Itachi felt his stomach drop. He hadn't expected him to remember him. He wasn't around enough to make an impression. But when he had look at him and said Daddy something began to flutter in his stomach. Happiness maybe? He didn't know, but whatever it was quickly replaced. Disappointment filled him before the all the words fully sunk in.

He had called Sasuke Daddy. He felt an irrational anger wash over him. Sasuke wasn't his father. He was! Why does this child think that Sasuke was his father. It wasn't fair.

And that when it hit him. He had never been jealous anyone before. That's what he was feeling now. He was jealous of his little brother. Sasuke could be a real father and he couldn't.

Disappointment washed over him again, this time focused on himself. He simply disappointed himself with that reaction. Why should he be upset? His son was in a safe environment , surrounded by people who could take good care of him. His son was happy. He had made friends at the day care that Sasuke enrolled him in, he was adjusted well to this new home, and was safe in Konoha instead of with those horrible people in the sound. He had family. Sasuke was acting as a loving father so it's not like he was some kind of abandoned child that was taken in. Seto honestly believed that Sasuke was his father. It was like Sasuke was a single parent. He should be happy about all this. Not jealous or angry. But for some reason, he couldn't shake off these feelings.

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, trying to find a way to words things. "Umm. That's my brother, Itachi. Your umm. . . . .uncle." he choked out after a moment, glancing at Itachi to see a slightly hurt expression in his eyes. He felt guilt wash over him.

Seto smiled and turned back to Itachi. "Hi, Uncle Itachi!" Itachi stared at him for a moment before regaining his composure and nodded to him, mumbling a 'hello' in return.

Seto smiled sweetly at Itachi for a moment more before he shifted his attention else where. "Mommy! Can I help make breakfast?"

Itachi felt confusion washed over him. What? Mommy? Here? But those thoughts quickly faded away when he saw Sasuke's girlfriend nod and Seto quickly scamper over to her. He reached up and took her hand while she lead him the counter. Itachi just stared in shock, unable to even form thoughts to express what he was feeling.

All Itachi could do was watch as they conversed together. After a moment, he was able to access the situation in front of him. He studied both of them, intently. The way they conversed was just so natural. He could tell that they were close by the way they just looked at each other. In they way they smiled at each other. In the way that she would reach out and pat him on the head.

Itachi took a step back and studied the picture as a whole. He tried to look at it in a way that a stranger would see it as. A young woman, in her teens, standing by the counter, putting ingredients into a bowl. A young boy sitting on the counter, helping the teen mix the bowl. But the way they did it was the thing that made it special. Although their appearances were obviously totally different, they looked like mother and son. Like a teen parent and her young son.

Itachi wandered back toward his brother, finding some strange comfort in the way that he felt like family. He had excepted to see his son and feel like his father. And he had felt that yesterday. The pride of knowing that the beautiful sleeping child in front of him was his. But today, seeing him awake and conversing with everyone. He felt like a totally different person. Like he wasn't actually his.

And in sense, he wasn't. Seto had never really knew his real father. All he has known is Sasuke. So it would only make sense for him to think of him as his father. And he couldn't even blame him for believing that this girl was his mother. He had seen Akina with Seto. And it was nothing like it should be. Now this girl had filled a space that was missing in his life.

Itachi stared at the young mother and her son. Itachi was oddly grateful for this girl. She had filled the space of mother for his son. Now Seto will grow up with a feeling for both parents. He didn't have to worry about Seto growing up without a mother because this girl was so much better than Akina could ever be.

Itachi subconsciously inched closer to Sasuke, needing the comfort of his family. He felt alone but oddly not in a bad way. Sasuke and this girl were parents to his kids and he felt grateful for this. He would never be able to be a father to them so he was happy that Sasuke could. He felt like the uncle instead of the father. There was a slightly lonely feeling but it was greatly overshadowed by this content feeling. He was content knowing his children were happy and safe.

"Things have changed." Sasuke suddenly said to him. Itachi glanced at him. He had whispered it to him, so quietly that no one else in the room would hear him. He stared at him a moment before turning his gaze back to the girl and Seto.

"So I've noticed." He said. A silence followed as Sasuke just stared out into the backyard and Itachi watched the two still. "So who is she?" Itachi asked after a moment.

Sasuke stared forward as he answered. "Sakura Haruno. My old teammate. She's grown up a lot and become very strong. She's the village's top medic, better than the Hokage herself. She trained under the Hokage until she surpassed her. She's probably going to be the next sannin."

Itachi stared at the pinkette in front of him. Was this girl really that strong? How? She was so small. She looked like she practically screamed 'FRAGILE'. How can she be how Sasuke described?

"She may not look like it but she really is something. She's the Cherry Blossom of Konoha. Strongest woman I've ever met." Sasuke whispered as if reading Itachi's mind.

Itachi was silent for a moment, letting it all sink in. "And your girlfriend?" he whispered, finally looking at his younger brother. He watched as Sasuke's eyes softened instead of his entire body tensing like he had expected. "Yeah, shockingly enough. She's the kindest person I've ever met. She's always been by my side, even when I didn't think she was. I've never felt like this about anyone else. It was always her and will always be.", he whispered in a loving tone. He then suddenly moved for the first time since he came into the kitchen. Sasuke stared intently into Itachi's eyes. "I love her."

Itachi and Sasuke stared at each other for a long minute. Itachi studied every inch of Sasuke's eyes, searching through them. He saw no hint of a lie, in fact he saw that his younger brother was telling the truth. There was certain glow in his eyes that made it simply impossible to say he was lying.

His little brother was deeply, madly and irrevocably in love with this Sakura Haruno.

Itachi turned away after moment and stared at this Sakura again. What was so special about this girl that had touched the untouchable? She had touched an Uchiha. A nearly impossibly task. And now his brother had fallen for her. Fallen hard.

He saw it now. His little brother growing up, raising his children, and making a good life for them. He would reopen the Police Department, it instead being called the Uchiha-Hyuga Konoha Police Department. He saw him coming home and being greeted by the door by Seto and Mikoto. He saw him going into the kitchen and greeting his very pregnant wife, this Sakura Haruno girl, and living a nice life. The happy life that he deserves. The life that Itachi had denied him right to. Now he could have it.

"Have you told her?" Itachi asked after a moment, still staring at her. He saw Sasuke slowly shake his heard out of the corner of his eyes.

"You know as well as I do that this kind of thing is always hard for an Uchiha. Even harder for me since I find it hard to trust others, for obvious reasons." He whispered, mumbling the last part. Yes, he knew. Itachi mentally sighed.

"You know I had my reasons." he mumbled. Sasuke tensed at his words. Yes he knew. No matter how unjust they were, there was a reason. Sasuke felt a chill go down his spine. No. He will not talk about this now. He will not talk about this to anyone, let alone the man that caused it all. Sasuke closed his eyes and wished that Itachi would just drop the subject. He didn't know how he would react if Itachi tried to talk about this.

They were silent for a moment before Itachi spoke again. "Sasuke, You have to know that it. . . . . . .I never-" he started to whisper but was interrupted.

"I don't want to hear it." He all but yelled in a harsh tone. The room was completely silent as everyone turned their attention to the brothers, even Naruto who had walked into the kitchen during their silent conversation. They hadn't even realized that the two brothers were in a conversation when suddenly Sasuke shouted. Itachi faced them, but he didn't pay any mind to them for his attention was on Sasuke who had his back to everyone.

"Sasuke, listen to me." Itachi said in his older-brother tone. The tone that he used to use on Sasuke when they were younger to remind him who was older and was to be listened to. It was the tone that said 'I'm your older brother and I will not have you talk to me that way.'

Sasuke recognized that tone. But obviously didn't think Itachi had the right to use it now. Sasuke's coffee cup shattered in his hand, it's contents spilling to the grounds, along with some blood from his hand. But Sasuke paid no mind to it, instead whipping his head to the side to glare at Itachi. Sasuke mentally noticed they were the same size now but really didn't pay much attention to this fact.

"Excuse me." he paused as he took in a shakily breath and turned to fully face his brother. "After all these years and everything you put me through you want to use that tone on me! What?! Do you expect me to just quiet down like a good little boy and listen to his older brother?! You have no right! You lost that right when you took everything away from me!

"I'm an adult now. I'm a father! I don't have to listen to you! This is my house and my rules! You have no right to come in here and treat me like the little boy that I used to be! 'Cause I'm not that little boy! I will never be that boy! That boy died a long time ago along with the rest of his family!"

"Sasuke listen to me." Itachi tried but Sasuke wasn't having it.

"No! You listen to me! I don't care why you did it! All that matters is that you did it! You ruined my life! And I'm trying to fix it now! So I won't have you coming in here and trying to convince me that you aren't a monster! I don't want to hear about it! You a choice and acted upon it! That's all there is to it! I don't care about your damn reasons!" Sasuke shouted, feeling the rage fill him up. His vision tinted red, but it wasn't from his Sharigan, though he was sure it was activated. He was just so mad that he felt warmth start to engulf him, starting from the left side of his neck.

"Whoa. Sasuke calm down." he heard Naruto say but he paid no mind to him. All he could focus on was Itachi and the heat that was slowly engulfing him, giving him strength.

He didn't realize he was losing control until he suddenly saw Sakura push herself between himself and Itachi. She grabbed the head and forced him to look her in the eyes. "Sasuke. Look at me. Stop. Now." she ordered.

Itachi watched in silent shock as his little brother lost control. He had seen Orochimaru's curse mark at work before. It was unbelievably hard to control. And he was even more shocked when the pinkette pushed her way between them. Why she stupid? Doesn't she know that Sasuke was no longer himself at the moment. She was only going to get hurt.

She reached and grabbed his head and focused him to look at her. She started to command him to stop and Itachi almost laughed at her. He can't stop you idiot. Your only going to get hurt by doing that.

But Sasuke didn't hurt her. Instead he closed his eyes tightly and clamped her hands over his arms. Itachi was prepared for the rebuff but was shocked when it never came. Sasuke tighten his hold on her, so that some busies would form a little later, and simply stood there for a long moment. Then slowly, the strange marks on his body began to recede.

Itachi just stared at the two, unable to form thoughts again as Sasuke gained control again. When all the marks receded Sasuke slumped forward slightly. He rested his forehead against hers as she held him in place. He was already dead tired before and now he could barley hold himself up, leaning a lot of his weight into Sakura for assistance.

Sakura sighed in relief and pulled him closer to her, trying to take all of his weight onto her. But Sasuke is a stubborn man so after a moment to get his head together be pulled back. He bent down to Sakura and gave her a kiss, muttering a 'thank you' into her lips.

He pulled back and looked around the room. Naruto was half-way across the room, Hinata holding in his place, while Ino was standing by Seto. Seto was sitting on the counter still, holding the mixing bowl. He was staring blankly at Sasuke. It was not the first time he had lost control in front of Seto so Seto was terrified. But he definitely didn't like it. Sasuke weakly smiled at Seto to tell him that everything was fine. Seto sighed in relief and looked down into the bowl, fishing out a blueberry before shoving it into his mouth.

Sasuke didn't bother looking at Itachi, instead looking back at Sakura. She was staring worriedly at him. Sasuke smirked at her but it quickly faded when he noticed the red stops on her arms. He fitted his arm back to her arms, placing his hands back into this handprints on his arms.

Sakura watched his hands for a moment before she looked back to his face. He looked horrible. She could see the guilt in his eyes as he examined her arms, no doubt already bruising from the way they hurt. "I'm sorry." he mumbled.

Sakura smiled at him, trying to comfort him. "It's okay. I'm fine. They don't even hurt." she lied.

Sasuke saw right through her, of course, and narrowed his eyes at her and gave her a knowing look. She looked up at him and gave him her innocent look, still not convincing him. She smiled sheepishly and gave him a chaste kiss, trying to distract him. It worked to an extent. He wasn't fooled but he let it go, knowing that he wasn't going to get anywhere by arguing with her to not down-play it.

Sasuke released his grip on her arms and pulled against his chest. She automatically wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his chest for a moment. It was when he was holding her when something occurred to her. She suddenly pulled back and glared at him. He stared at her, confused for a moment before she pulled his wounded hand toward her. She examined the cut in his hand from the glass and sighed.

She focused her chakra to her fingertips and expertly healed the damage. When she was done she glared up at him while Sasuke gave her a guilty smirk. "What am I going to do with you?" she murmured.

Sasuke smirked again before sighing. "I think I'm going to go sit down for a bit." he said before pulling himself out of Sakura's arms.

"Good. You need to rest." Sakura said before she walked back over to Seto. "Hey don't eat all the blueberries, silly boy." she teased, causing Seto to smile at her. She smiled back before placing a small kiss on his head before getting out the broom and mop, knowing there was a broken glass and coffee mess by the door.

Sasuke slowly made his way to the living, completely ignoring Itachi's stare. He didn't want to deal with that at the moment. All he wanted was to go to the comfy couch and just relax. Going all night without sleep like that, with a stress filled day, and the fact that he had lost control really took a lot out of him. The couch meeting his butt was the only important thing that he needed to worry about right now.

Suddenly Sasuke heard a small cry from upstairs. Sasuke sighed. He was almost to the couch too. 'maybe another time." he thought to himself, staring longingly at the couch before he slowly shuffled up the stairs.

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**So there it was. I know. Not my best. In fact, it's poop. Enough said.**

**So i would like reviews. Like suggestions on how i can make this chapter better. Whether you liked a certain part and hated another. Really i don't care what you write. As long as you help me with the story. And i would like reviews cause i'm not doing to good at the moment. My sunshine just got a new girlfriend and it's definently not me. So yeah. That sucks out loud. I missed my chance so i'm pretty much just kicking myself right now. Hardcore. But reviews always make me feel better so i would love to hear from you all.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Ello sorry it took so long to get back to you. I have writers block and i'm sick again. Stupid cold. Well i finally have a new chapter, although i dont't like it much. But hey, well see where it gets me. Well lets to it.**

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Sakura sighed and pushed her bangs out of her face with her arm. She was standing in the kitchen doing the breakfast dishes. The house was completely silent besides the sounds of the dishes clinking together and quiet snores from the next room.

Sakura smiled. When breakfast was ready she had walked into the living room to go get Sasuke but stopped at the sight in front of her. She had suspected to find Sasuke sitting on the couch and staring off into space or something. Instead she was greeted with the sight of Sasuke lying flat on his back, sleeping soundly. But what really made it special was the small form lying on his chest, gently cradled in his arms. Mikoto was sleeping soundly as well, one of her tired hands still clutching her pink blanket while the other gently clutched some of Sasuke's hair.

They had looked so peaceful and so cute that Sakura couldn't wake them up. Plus, Sasuke needed the rest. But of course, Ino had insisted on taking a picture. And Naruto had insisted on getting a copy. And it was only nature that Sakura would want a copy as well, right? Let's just say Sasuke wasn't going to be too happy when he finds out.

Shortly after breakfast was over Naruto left with Hinata. Hinata had had a curfew but she had just stayed over here so she was bound to be in trouble. Naruto went with her because he didn't want her to face that alone. Ino had just left the house to drop off Seto at daycare. And Itachi had disappeared shortly after his spat with Sasuke and was currently hiding in the guestroom. So that left Sakura alone to do the dishes.

Sakura sighed and dried off her hands. After a moment of staring into space she reached for a glass. But as she reached for it, another hand came into her view, reaching for the same glass. They were standing behind her, but she took on look at a scar on their forearm and smiled.

She quickly spun around and crushed her body against their's, snaking her arms around their neck. She noted the fact that they had tense as soon as she came in contact with them but really she didn't make anything of it. "Sasuke, you finally woke up I see." She said with a smile that quickly faded when she realized her mistake.

There, not even bothering to hide his confusion and shock, was Itachi. Sakura froze. This can't be happening was the only thing that entered her mind in that moment.

Seconds later she regained control of her body and she quickly pushed away from him, her face burning a deep shade of red. She felt like she had burnt off a layer of skin with how hot her cheek felt. "S-Sorry! I saw the scar on your forearm and I mistook you for Sasuke. He has one just like that in the same spot." She stuttered out an explanation.

Itachi just stood frozen for a moment, trying to understand what happened. He tried to comprehend everything but for some reason the only thing that he really noticed was that there was a lot of force of when she threw herself at him. Maybe too much force for such a small girl. So Sasuke was telling the truth when he said that she trained under the Hokage. Impressive.

He quickly shook it off and grabbed the glass. Sakura watched as he filling it up with water and take a sip. But instead of walking away, he leaned against the counter and stared forward.

There was an awkward silence in the room for a moment before Sakura broke it. "I'm so sorry. I-"

"Don't worry about it. Sasuke and I took very similar, including our scars. I don't hold it against you." Itachi suddenly said, interrupting her. Another silence filled the room as Itachi continued to stare forward while Sakura stared at her feet, her blush started to go away.

When Sakura was sure that her face was back to normal, she grabbed another glass and filling it with water as well. She gracefully pulled herself onto the counter and sat Indian style, making sure that the sink was between them.

Minutes passed in silence as they both stared forward and slowly drank their water.

"You care about my brother?" Itachi asked suddenly.

Sakura stared at him for a moment, not sure that he had really spoken and she had just imagined it. He turned to her after a moment, wondering why she hadn't answered. She answered quickly. "Yes. Very much." She said letting her confusion of the sudden question leak through into her voice.

"How much?" he asked in a emotionless voice.

"Very much. I love him with all my heart." she said sincerely.

Itachi absentmindedly nodded his and stared forward. "And my children?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "I love them as well. They're little angels. I treat them as my own." she informed him sincerely, but slightly suspicious. She studied him as he nodded again, not meeting her stare. He seemed to be grilling her, almost like he was just checking up on her. She half expected him to turn to her, and say 'so what are your intentions with my brother?'

She smiled at that thought, trying to picture Itachi doing this. She giggled, catching Itachi's attention. He stared at her like she had grown a third head, obviously missing what was so funny. Sakura just smiled at him. "Sorry. It's just I feel like I'm being grilled by a parent before a date with their kid." she said, giggling slightly still.

Itachi stared at her blankly and went over the conversation in his head. Yeah, it did kind of sound like that, didn't it. He nodded in understanding, but chose not to comment about it.

"My intentions with your brother are honorable.", she said with a smile. "Just so you know."

He glanced at her. She was mocking him lightly, but for some reason he didn't mind. Instead, he smirked lightly, letting her know that he was okay with her joke. She seemed to relax a little more, smiling even brighter.

"So what exactly are your intentions?" he said quietly in a joking tone. He felt slightly awkward doing this though. He wasn't a joking kind of person and he was sure she heard his poor attempt at a joking tone, like he had heard Sasuke use yesterday. It wasn't the same though. Itachi's attempt to imitate Sasuke sounded really awkward.

Sakura smiled reassuringly at him. "Oh, you know, weasel my way into this family, have my way with Sasuke, possibly get some of the Uchiha fortune into my bank account then run, breaking the heart of the entire family." she said jokingly, knowing he was trying to talk to really talk to her and make her feel comfortable.

He nodded. "Well, if your intentions are good. . . . ." he trailed off, dropping the failed attempt of a joking tone and just going to a blank voice.

Sakura giggled again. "No, really I just want to help out. I don't want Sasuke to feel alone and have to raise these children by himself. I just want to be there for all of them. Because I really care for them. As corny as it sounds, it's true. My intentions are honorable." she said truly sincere. There was no doubt in his mind now that what she said was true.

Itachi nodded. At least he knew this girl checked out. He would admit that when he found out they were dating he was a little worried. He didn't want Sasuke or his children to get hurt. And he was worried that by being this girl into this family, that they were just setting themselves up for heartache.

But she checked out. She seems just as crazy about this family as they were for her. Plus, she's kind and caring, though strong to be able to deal with Sasuke. She was a strong ninja as well. No to mention she was rather beautiful. Yes, she was good for this family. She was the kind of person that he wanted his children to grow up with and learn from. She was good enough to wear the Uchiha name someday.

They were both quiet, sitting comfortable listening to the birds chirp outside and the sound of Mikoto giggling, having awoken from her nap.

"Do you like playing with my hair?" they heard from the next room, Sasuke obvious awoken as well.

They silently listened as Sasuke talked to her and her cute baby noise in response for awhile. They were cute together. It never ceased to amaze her how much the kids cling to Sasuke. He may not think so, but he was very good with kids.

"Are you hungry, Sweetheart?" he said as he began to get from the sound of it.

Sasuke appeared in the doorway moments later, cradling Mikoto to his chest. He walked in and froze, examining the two relaxed forms in front of them. They seem comfortable enough around each other but slightly edgy, probably waiting for his reaction. But he really didn't know how to react. He was still hesitant to be with his brother at the moment after their spat. So he didn't know how he should act around him.

He stared at them for a moment longer before turning his attention back to preparing a bottle for Mikoto. He quickly busied himself, ignoring their stares.

"Sasuke, I saved some breakfast for you. Are you hungry? You haven't eaten anything all day." Sakura asked, trying to ease some of the tension, plus giving herself something to do besides just sitting there like an idiot. She jumped off of the counter and went to the fridge, not giving him a chance to answer as she pulled out the food.

Sasuke eyed her, knowing that there was no use in arguing with her. Plus, he was kind of hungry. He muttered a thank you to her and then gently swayed Mikoto in his arms, waiting by the stove for the bottle to warm, glancing at the clock. He slept longer than he had expected. "Seto at daycare?" he asked.

Sakura nodded, while she heat up the food in the microwave. "Yeah, Ino just left to take him. She should be back shortly."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at this, muttering something under his breath about wanting her to stay away. Sakura just looked at him, a small smile on her face. Sasuke and Ino definitely had an odd relationship.

Sasuke suddenly walked over to Sakura and passed Mikoto over to her. She eyes him curiously before he smirked. "I'll be right back. Just going to use the bathroom." he said, exiting the room.

She paced over to the counter, standing by the stove, watching over. Itachi just watched her as she played with the little girl in her arms, hearing giggles in return. And just like with Seto, the child and her seemed to fit together like mother and daughter. And like with Sasuke, this child seemed to love her beyond ration.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the microwave. Sakura looked at the microwave and a puzzle look crossed her face. She stared in the direction of the annoying beeping sound for a moment before she suddenly looked at him, a mix of doubt and hope on her face. "Can you try holding Mikoto for me?"

The way that said worded the sentence caught his attention. Try to hold her. Well, he knew how to hold a baby so he nodded, not really understanding why she excepted him not to know how to hold his child. She paced over to him, gently passing her over but she stood close by for a few seconds, as if expecting a him to mess up or something. After a few seconds passed, and nothing happened, she backed up, a puzzled look on her. She held this face for a moment before shrugging it off and went to prepare Sasuke food.

Itachi stared down at the child in his arms. She was absolutely beautiful. She stared up at his hair, playing with the strands that hung down by his face. She seemed to play little attention to anything else besides his hair, while he took in everything about her. She was definitely going to grow up and have the Uchiha looks. Sasuke's going to have his hands full with all the many suitors that will come. **(a/n: omg. Could you image Sasuke just ripping his hair out because all the fan boys coming for Mikoto! Lol) **

Sasuke calmly walked back into the kitchen, eyeing Itachi, making sure he was okay, before sitting down at the table. Sakura put some food on the table I front of him before turning to Itachi. "Itachi, would you like some? You skipped breakfast as well. It's no problem for me to just fix up another plate."

He nodded to her, feeling slightly hungry, before he turned back to Mikoto. She had sopped playing with his hair and was now staring at Sasuke, a slightly confused look on her face. She turned back to look up at him, really looking at him for the first time. She studied him for a moment, before she suddenly started screaming and wiggling trying to get out of his grasp.

Itachi inwardly panicked. What had he done? He was just holding her and then she started freaking out. He gentled swayed her in his arms, trying to calm her but it didn't work. He then tried to little bounce her but she only screamed louder.

Sasuke silently got up, just chewing his food, and went to help his brother. As soon as he came into a 3-foot radius, she cried out louder and reached out for him. Sasuke shook his head and sighed, pulling her into his arms. She instantly stopped crying, instead giggling as she reached up to play with his hair. Sasuke rolled his eyes, used to her doing this.

But Itachi just stared at them, completely confused. Sasuke glanced at him and say his confusion. "Don't worry about it. She does that all the time. She's kind of picky about who holds her."

Itachi was quiet for a moment as he thought that through. "She was fine with me for awhile." he stated.

Sasuke just looked at him, thinking it through as well. After a moment, he shrugged. He didn't know, and really, it didn't matter all that much. He turned on his heel and walked back over to the table, sitting down and continuing his meal.

Sakura placed Itachi's food on the table, across from Sasuke. "Itachi, your food's ready." she called over her shoulder before walking over to the counter and grabbing Mikoto's bottle. Itachi walked over to the table and silently sat down, digging into the food right away. Sakura joined them at the table soon after, pulling Mikoto into her arms so that she could feed her.

"Hmm. Maybe she mistook you for Sasuke. Maybe that's why you were able to hold her for so long. You two look so similar, it's easy to mix you two up if your not paying attention." she said, remembered earlier this morning.

It was very true, know that Itachi thought about it. Sasuke and him looked very similar. Sasuke had grown up since he had last seen him. They were about the same size now, Itachi maybe an inch taller. They had the same build, like their father's, the same dark eyes, the same shade of hair, similar scars, the same complexion. In fact, if it wasn't for a few differences in their face and hair, you would think they were twins.

Pain gripped Itachi. His daughter had only let him hold her because she thought he was Sasuke. He thought he was passed all the shock and pain he felt when he realized that Seto couldn't ever be his son. But now, it was like the pain all over again. Because, although she was still young, she had chosen her 'father'. And it wasn't him.

Itachi took a deep breath and pushed the pain away. It was better this way, realized. What would have happened when he left again if she had chosen him? He couldn't take her with him, and then she would have grown without a father. But she chose Sasuke, so he knew she was in good hands.

"Hey. I'm back." Ino said as she walked though the door, going straight for the fridge. She looked in for a moment before pulling out an apple and walking over to the table. "What's up, Sleepyhead?" she said to Sasuke, noticing his glare.

"Don't you have a place to be? Like, I don't know, your own house." he said, still glaring at her.

"No. I have the day free so I think I'll spend it here." she said with a smile.

Sasuke scowled at her. "Well, we don't want you here."

Ino playfully pouted at him. "Well, how rude! Didn't anyone teach you manners? Plus, Sakura wants me here and you know it." she said sticking out her tongue at him, knowing he couldn't say that she didn't. When Sakura is in the house, Ino is always welcome. Even, if she only gets in the way.

"What have I told you about stealing our food?" Sasuke said, giving up on the other argument and choosing to focus on another. Ino glared at him, before the two started bickering with each other.

xOx

The day had gone by pretty uneventful from that point on. The two brothers had both silently agreed to forget about their spat that they had this morning, and just moved on. The four of them had just hung out for the most part, meaning Ino, Sasuke and Sakura hung out while Itachi contributed to the conversation everyone once and awhile.

Unfortunately in the evening, after picking up Seto, Naruto had dropped by to inform Sasuke of something.

"Teme, the team of ANBU are leaving the village tonight for a mission. If Itachi leaves tonight, he might get caught." he told them after he fixed himself a plate and joined them all at the table.

"It would probably be best if Itachi stay another night and leave tomorrow if it's safe." Sakura said, receiving a nod from Itachi and Sasuke both.

So later on that night, Itachi had went up to bed at eleven, Ino going up to the other guestroom at midnight. Naruto had decided to stay over as well, requesting to stay on the couch that he had made just a fuss about the night before. Turns out that the couch was very much to his liking, which prompted Sasuke to hit him.

Around 12:30, Sasuke was making his usual rounds. In peeked into Seto's room, and saw his sleeping face. He was about to leave when he noticed that his nightlight was not on. He silently crept into the room, switching the small light on. Before leaving the room, he gently kissed his forehead, muttering a goodnight.

Straightening out, he turned and stopped seeing Sakura's smiling form standing in the doorway. He smirked and exited the room, closing the door behind him, and smirked at her. "Are you coming to bed or are you pulling another all-nighter?" she asked mockingly, before kissing him.

Sasuke smirked. "shush, you." he mumbled against her lips. She smiled into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, while he snaked his arms around her waist. Their lips skillfully meshed together for awhile before they broke apart for air.

They took in deep sharp breathes, still holding each other close. But once they had their breathe, Sasuke kissed her again. Soon, Sakura felt his tongue rub against her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She pulled him closer, surrendering her mouth to him. He roamed her mouth, tasting every inch before meeting her tongue where an intricate dance began.

Her hands were tangled in his raven spikes when she felt his thumb brush against the rim of her shirt. She was slightly surprised when his hands suddenly slips under her shirt. They had never really gone passed a make-out session and she didn't know what to think when his hands were suddenly in her shirt, his fingertips brushing the clamp of her bra.

Acting on instinct, Sakura pulled back. Sasuke looked at her, afraid that he had crossed a line but was shocked to see a slightly wild look in her eyes. She kissed him roughly and began clawing at his shirt, wanting it off. Sasuke stifled his shock and assisted her in getting it off. The only problem was the didn't want to break the kiss but they wanted the shirt off. They ended up ripping the shirt down the front and throwing the scrap to the floor.

They continued to kiss each other while Sakura ran her hands down the planes of his chest and tracing his abs. Sasuke broke the contact with their lips, trailing his lips to her jaw. He pushed her against the wall suddenly gripped her thighs. She took this as a sign and lifted her legs, wrapping them around his waist. She tilted her head to the side and let him kiss and suck the skin of her neck and collarbone.

Sasuke sucked on her collarbone, leaving a hickey before his hands began to move to her shirt again. It wasn't long until her shirt was on the floor as well. But much to his frustration, she happened to be wearing a tank top too. He made quick work of it and ripped it from her body, roughly kissing her again.

Sakura pushed against his body, gripping him tightly. He pulled their bodies away from the wall, and carried them down the hall, never breaking the contact between their lips. At one point, he stumbled and slammed their bodies against the wall across from their room, causing Sakura to giggle. Sasuke smirked against her lips and pulled their bodies away from the wall, only to slam into their door.

Sasuke fumbled with the doorknob, trying to find it while he kissed her. But it was getting exceedingly hard to even concentrate on finding the doorknob while Sakura unzipped his pants, kissing him roughly. It was at that time that a door opened. Unfortunately, it wasn't theirs.

At the sound of the door opening, Sasuke pulled back and glanced down the hall, fearing they had awoken Seto. But instead of seeing a tired Seto standing at his door, he saw his older brother, shirtless, and tired looking. He was looking down the hall, at their torn clothes on the floor. Before Sasuke could separate them, Itachi turned and stared at the two.

Now, you can image the sight he was greeted with. His baby brother, shirtless with his pants practically falling off his hips. And his girlfriend, in her pink lacy bra and shorts, pushed up against their bedroom door with her legs wrapped around his baby brother's waist. Both of them looking extremely flustered, with their hair a wild mess, and their faces bright red. And both looking surprised that they were caught in this position, when it sounded like an elephant was walking down the hall with how much noise they were making. How that Ino girl had slept through all that noise, he didn't know.

An awkward silence filled the hallway. After a moment Sasuke pulled away from her, setting her down on the ground. She half hid behind him, obviously embarrassed that she couldn't cover herself up.

"Oh. Don't let me interrupt." he said, causing both to blush even more then they were before. Sasuke opened his mouth to retort but he couldn't think of anything to say and ended up just looking like a dieing fish with his mouth open that that. Itachi smirked and turned to enter his room again.

"Use protection." he said before the door closed behind him, leaving two extremely embarrassed teens.

They looked at each other, both mortified. They quickly gathered the torn scraps of their clothes from the ground and went into their room. They both silently agreed to just go to bed and deal with it in the morning.

* * *

**Well what do you think? Wow, right? The ending i mean. The rest of it was boring and hard to write. But the ending was an awkward twist, lol. Now i would really like to see some feedback. Did the Itachi/Sakura conversation met your standards? Do you like where i'm going? Should i just start this chapter over and try something new? Please! I want to know wha you think.**

**hey, can i tell you a secret? I'm totaly freaking out right know because i'm afraid of thunder and there's a storm. I'm hiding in the basement playing my music trying to block it out. Damn, i feel like my dog. He's afraid of thunder and loud noises like fireworks. Summer is the worst season with him because of all the fireworks and storms, he's always freaking out. Damn, i hate thunder! And the person i always texted during thunderstorms was my sunshine, and i can't do that now! **

**Oh and on that note,** **things are a bit better now. He's still dating that girl and it still freaking sucks to see them in the halls, and he's still not talking to me, but i'm doing better. I'm starting to get over him, so i'm getting there. Although, i love my friend to death and all, but her aproach to making me feel better is to call his girlfriend fat, and ugly, and say that she has bad acne, and that she's a bitch. And to bad mouth my sunshine as well. But really it doesn't help. Cause, actually the girl is kind of pretty and i don't know her so i dont feel i should judge her and call her a bitch so i kind of feel like my firend is just lieing to me to trying to make me feel better. But i don't want to be lied too. I know my friend is just trying to help but it's making me feel like a bad person for talking about i person i don't know behind their back. (well technically, i'm not talking about her but actaully just listening to someone talk about her, but you get what i mean) Has this ever happened to anyone else before or am i just odd.**


	18. Chapter 18

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**Ello. Sorry it took so long for me to update. I had a major case of writers block! (This is actually chapter 20 version 3.5 meaning that it was the thrid attempt to write it and i went back and changed something but kept most of the chapter the same.) So with writers block, personally life issuses, and computer problems, it took forever to update. I'm sorry. I've been so busy. And then my sunshine is talking to me again ( the first thing he said to me after so long was 'hey are you going out with aaron?' Umm definenetly not.) but i'm not putting all my trust into him like last time. So that's all so very fun (not). But no excuses.**

**And i was doing to update yesterday but the computer wasn't working so i couldn't. When i got home today, i was scrambling to update, cause you all diserve it. So, speaking of the update, i should probably say something. If you are not up to date with the manga, you might get a tad bit confused. I didn't put any spoilers in it but without it, you might feel your missing a piece of information. Well, just read it for now and i'll talk more after.**

* * *

Sasuke's eyes reluctantly fluttered open. He glanced at the clock, it reading 7: 26 a.m. He was actually grateful to Itachi at this moment. He was awoken at 5o'clock this morning by Seto at the door. He had managed to open the door, but had not made it into the room before Itachi stopped him.

"What are you up to, Buddy? Nothing bad, right?" he had whispered into the darkness, causing Seto to smile and giggle.

"I'm just waking them up to play." Seto had said.

Seto was greeted with silence for a few beats before Itachi finally spoke. "Let them sleep. They had a rough night." he whispered, much to Sasuke irritation.

Sasuke could imagine Seto's pouting face when he heard him speak again. "But, who will I play with then?"

Sasuke pulled in a deep breath, hating how is had to wake up now. He was still half asleep, and was quite content in his warm bed with Sakura pressed up against his side. But he had a child now and he always comes first. Just as Sasuke was about to get up he heard Itachi speak. "Well, I'll play with you." he said shocking Sasuke.

Seto quietly cheered before the door gently closed and the sound of footsteps disappeared down the hall. Sasuke had laid in bed awhile longer, wondering how he was supposed to feel about this. But after a few more minutes sleep gently began to pull him under and he decided to worry about it later. But really, there wasn't much to worry about. It was just a father and his son. With that comforting thought Sasuke drifted back into a comfortable sleep.

Sasuke laid in bed, reluctant to actually get up and start the day. He glanced down at Sakura. She was still sleeping peacefully, using his chest as a pillow. After a moment of consideration he decided to stay in bed, concluding that he would wake Sakura up if he got up now. But he only laid there for a few minutes before he got bored.

Instead of trying to get up without waking her, he gently traced her arm that was resting over his stomach up to her shoulder. Once reaching her shoulder, he gently fingered the strap of her tank top between his fingers. He quietly toyed with her strap until she awoke a half hour later.

Sakura drew in a deep breath and stretched slightly before looking up at Sasuke. She smiled. "Good morning, Sunshine." she whispered.

Sasuke smirked at her and gently dragged his fingers back down her arm, leaving a tingling trail and making her shiver. "Good Morning, my Princess." He whispered back.

They laid contented for a while longer before they heard some sort of ruckus down stairs. After a sigh from both, they knew they had to get up and face the day and the embarrassment that was sure to greet them from Itachi. But alas, they hesitantly got up and pulled some more clothing over their pajamas- meaning Sakura pulled on a robe while Sasuke put some sweats and a t-shirt on.

They slowly made there way down the stairs, now littered with discarded toys of all sorts. Sasuke stifled his shock at seeing the stairs. He hadn't even known that Seto owned that many toys. A feeling of dread filled his stomach. If the stairs looked like this, he could only imagine what the rest of the house looked like.

One glance into the living room confirmed his suspicion. The room was a complete mess. Toys laid about the room in almost every place they could, the TV was still on, things that Sakura had decorated the room with were now on the ground, hanging from the walls dangerously, or just plain broken, along with Naruto's unmade 'bed'. He looked around once more and almost just went back up stairs and crawled back into bed. It was going to be one of those days, and he knew it.

They slowly turned and went into the kitchen. The first thing that Sasuke noticed was several Naruto's running around outside with Seto. Probably messing up the yard like they messed up the house. He glanced at the table and Ino and Mikoto. Mikoto squirmed relentlessly as soon as they stepped into the room, reaching for Sakura. Sakura stepped forward and gently took the excited child into her arms. Sakura soon took to pacing while gently bouncing Mikoto in her arms.

Ino opened her month to say something- probably some kind of snide comment- but she never got anything out. Instead, someone spoke, catching everyone's attention. "You two have fun?" Itachi said, mixing something at the stove.

Sasuke glared at Itachi while Sakura blushed deeply. "Huh? What'd I miss?" Ino asked after watching everyone's reaction to Itachi's comment.

Sasuke ignored her. "Shut up, Itachi." He said giving him a death glare, which didn't bother Itachi in the least. Instead, he pressed the issue again.

"Was that your first time, my baby brother?" he whispered mockingly.

"What? First time?" Ino shouted from the table in a confused manner. But once again she was ignored.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the comment and he blushed deeply. "No!" he shouted , losing his cool. But it was only when he say everyone's reaction did he realize but what he said. Sakura stared back at him with a oddly blank face, those her eyes shared a bit of what she was feeling. Hurt. Itachi had an amused smirk on his face while Ino held a still confused but slightly more aware expression. He briefly heard her mumble 'wait, are you talking about what I think your talking about. . . .?', but she was still ignored.

"Oh really, my baby brother? It wasn't your first time?" Itachi said, his amusement heard clearly in his voice.

"No! Because nothing happened." he said, back tracking slightly. He glanced at Sakura, who was now looking at Ino, blushing. Ino was staring at Sakura in a shocked manner. Naruto chose this time to come inside. He took one step into the room and stopped studying everyone. After a pregnant silence Naruto spoke. "What's going on?"

It was Ino who decided to speak. Or yell. "Sasuke and Sakura had sex last night!"

"WHAT!? EW!" Naruto quickly shouted and gave the couple a disgusted look. Sasuke just glared at both of the blondes with Sakura blushed deeply. Itachi quietly went to the stove, trying not to laugh. "THAT IS SO GROSS!" Naruto shouted again.

Sasuke's eyebrow rose. "What's so gross about that? We're all adults here. (Itachi quietly snorted to himself at the word 'adult'. They weren't even 18 yet. Sasuke shot him a quick glance but ignored him for the best part.) What's so 'gross' about sex?"

Naruto stared at him in disbelief. "Because you guys are teammates! Teammates aren't supposed to have sex with each other!"

"But we're also dating. I believe that means we can have sex if we want to. It's our business." Sasuke shot back, challenging Naruto to speak up again. Naruto just glared at him, his face still contorted in disgust.

"Oh my God! Sasuke deflowered the Cherry Blossom of Konoha!" Ino suddenly shouted. Horror crossed over Naruto's face muttering something about 'her dad is going to kill him'. Sakura snapped her face toward Ino and blushed deeply in embarrassment and anger. Sasuke glared at Ino, his face heating up from his blush while Itachi stifled another chuckle, getting a kick out of the whole thing.

"Ino!" Sakura shouted, feeling the urge to smack the girl.

"Shut up, Ino! I didn't 'deflower' anyone! Sasuke shouted.

"What? You mean that Sakura already. . ..?!" Naruto trailed off. Ino glared at him for a moment before turning to Sasuke. "Liar! Sakura was a virgin before last night! So, yes, you did deflower her."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Sakura blushed deepened. "He didn't 'deflower' me. Now can we stop talk-" Sakura started before getting interrupted by both blondes at once.

"So, you admit it!"

"What!? Sakura, why didn't you tell me!? I thought we were best friends! How could you keep this from me?"

Sasuke and Sakura sighed deeply at the same time. Sasuke shook his head, muttering 'I'm done with this' before turning to face Itachi. He quietly walked over and seated himself on the counter, watching his brother cook. Sakura rolled her eyes and turned to the blondes. "Okay, I will explain everything right now."

Another look of disgust crossed Naruto's face. "Sakura, please, no details. I don't think I will be able to take that."

Sakura glared and struggled not to blush again. "Shut up Naruto. Sasuke did not 'deflower' me and no once else did for that matter. Nothing happened between Sasuke and I last night. End of story."

Naruto stared at her in confusion. "But, Teme said. . . ." he trailed off slightly before Sasuke spoke.

"I said that we could if we wanted to, not that we did." He said to Naruto before looking back at Itachi, watching as he put the finishing touches on.

"So, nothing happen?" Ino asked.

"Nothing. You guys just assumed something did and blew the whole thing way out of proportion." Sakura explained.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, Teme." Naruto said, bowing his head slightly.

Ino nodded. "Yeah, sorry, Forehead." Ino said, deliberately forgetting Sasuke. But it didn't matter, he wasn't even paying attention.

Sakura sat herself at the table, Seto and Naruto also joining her at the table. A comfortable silence settled over the room. It was Ino that broke it, staring at Sakura with suspicion in her eyes. "Sakura, is that a hickey on your neck?" She asked, causing Sakura look at her. She looked like a deer in headlights.

"Breakfast's ready." Itachi called, saving Sakura momentarily, as he and Sasuke brought the food to the table. Everyone quickly filled their plates and began to eat before Ino started to question Sakura again. "So, nothing happened, right?" she asked her with narrowed eyes.

Sakura glanced up at her and tried to dodge the question. But, Ino was persistent, questioning her again. Feeling trapped, Sakura glanced at Sasuke for help and found none. Instead, she found him staring sadly at his food. Worry filled her as she sat frozen, unable to understand what was wrong. Sakura's silence caught the others attention before they followed her gaze.

"Sasuke, dude, are you okay?" Naruto asked after a moment.

Sasuke's head snapped up and glanced around the table. Embarrassment filled him as he was caught feeling this way over something so stupid. He tried to shrug it off. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking, that's all."

"About?" Ino asked, curious.

Sasuke looked at her for a moment before glancing at everyone else. They all seemed interested, as well. He shrugged. "Oh, nothing really. I was thinking about the food."

Disbelief crossed over mostly everyone's faces, except Itachi's. "Do you not like it?" He asked his brother.

Surprise shook Sasuke as he spoke, not thinking. "No, It's really good. It's just it tastes just like how . . ." he trailed off, dropping his gaze to his plate again. Everyone noticed how he struggled with what he was about to say, or even though they were curious, they let it drop. Seto reached up and took Sasuke's hand, trying to comfort him. Sasuke smiled down at the boy.

Itachi took another bite of his food. It didn't taste funny to him. It didn't even remind him of anything. It tasted just like how it always tasted. He stared at his brother questionably. Sasuke noticed his stare and took a deep breathe. "It tastes just like how . . mom used to make it."

Silence filled the room as Seto squeezed his father's hand again, knowing he was upset. Itachi nodded after a moment. "Yeah. Mom taught me how to cook when I was twelve. I never noticed how much they tasted the same until now." he said quietly, although everyone heard.

Sasuke smiled bitterly. "I once tried to make mom's special soup. I spent hours working on it and it turned out to be the worst thing I ever tasted. And I could never find her recipe box so I couldn't make any of her other dishes. I've forgotten how good it tasted."

Silence fell over the room again. A uncomfortable, suffocating silence. And just when it was almost too unbearable Itachi spoke again. "Do you remember the time that mother had to leave and visit an old friend in Suna and father tried to make us dinner.?"

Sakura, Naruto, and Ino held their breathe. Sasuke didn't like to talk about the past and now Itachi was asking about it. They silently waited for the rebuff, getting ready to jump between them if needed. But instead Sasuke's entire face brightened and he laughed quietly.

"Okay, I take back what I said. _That_ was the worst thing I ever tasted." he said laughing again.

Itachi chuckled with his brother. "Yeah, I thought so."

Sasuke laughed lightly, looking right at Itachi. "He was such a brilliant man, but somehow was a major screw up in the kitchen. Oh, do you remember when he helped mom with my birthday cake one year?" he asked animatedly, letting all of his guards down for a moment-something that probably only Sakura had seen only once before.

Itachi shook his head and smirked. "He had one job and he screwed the whole thing up. He switched the sugar with salt." he said, chuckling slightly.

Sasuke smiled. "To this day I don't eat sweets." he said followed by another laugh.

Itachi smirked. "Me either."

xOx

Breakfast progressed slowly, a tad bit uncomfortable at times, but all together well. Sasuke and Itachi quietly chatted about the past- reminiscing about the good times, deliberately ignoring the bad. It was good for everyone, in a way. It gave everyone a glimpse at just what kind of people the Uchihas were. Sakura found herself wishing to have known them more than once as breakfast processed.

But the mood of the room abruptly shifted as they cleared the table. Itachi had suddenly placed a firm hand on Sasuke's shoulder, being him to a halt and catching everyone's attention. Everyone one studied to the two brothers- Itachi's face carefully blank while Sasuke stared back at him, watching him carefully.

"My dear brother, I would like to talk to you." he muttered in a emotionless tone that somehow held a somber beat to it.

"About what, big brother?" Sasuke asked innocently but carefully, knowing what was coming next.

"The past." he muttered so quietly that Sakura-the one standing closest to the brothers- struggled to hear.

And without a glance at anyone else the two disappeared out the backdoor, leaving a tense air in the room. They had disappeared several hours ago, though from their chakra they could tell they were still close. Practically on top of them, in fact.

Sakura had taken to taking care of the children with Ino's help while Naruto had chosen to just hover in the kitchen. Though neither blonde said anything, they only hung around because they were too nervous to leave. If a fight was to break out between the brothers, they wanted to be there to break them up. And with Sasuke's short temper, they were on edge the entire time.

The day passed slowly to them and by the time that dinner had rolled around, the brothers were still no where to be seen. Halfway through dinner the two brothers jumped down from the roof and calmly walked into the kitchen, Catching the attention of some very worried adults and some very clueless children.

Sakura smiled in relief that the talk didn't end bloodshed. But her relief was quickly washed away when a very calm, pale, emotionless Sasuke took the seat next to her, Itachi doing the same across from his brother. Everyone stared as Sasuke just stared down at his plate, seeming to be more in his thoughts than in the present.

Diner progressed with only the sounds of the children and the sounds of food scraping against plates. Sakura glanced to her side for the thousandth time, receiving the same results. Sasuke sat stared at his food, not moving an inch at all, not even to blink. His face was completely blank, making him look more like a zombie than anything else. Sakura silently swallowed her food, concern marring her face. She glanced across the table into Naruto face. He held the same face as her, and they stared at each other, silently expressing their concern to each other.

They held their gaze so long that they hadn't noticed at anything had changed until Itachi had pushed away from the table. They snapped their attention to him and watched as he calmly made his way to the other side of the table. He put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, who head had lowered-his bands blocking a view of his face- and was shaking slightly. Sakura glanced at Naruto in alarm, not knowing what was going on or what to do.

Itachi suddenly crouched down, making himself an equal height with Sasuke. Everyone waited for him to do something more but it was not him who moved next. Sasuke turned his body so that he was now facing Itachi and slowly lowered his forehead to met his brother's shoulder, still shaking. Confusion washed over the audience of the two. Their confusion increasing along with shock as a small sniff was heard and Itachi wrapped his arm around his little brother.

Sasuke's hands reached out to clutch Itachi's shirt and another sniff was heard before he completely broke and his quiet sniffles were replaced with a sudden sob. Itachi gripped his brother tighter, muttering something to him so quietly that no one else could make it out.

Everyone stood frozen, unsure and shocked. The Great Sasuke Uchiha was broken, seeking comfort from the man that he had hated with all his heart. They just couldn't believe it.

They were so shocked that they hadn't noticed when Seto had gotten out of his seat and walked over to the brothers. And before they could keep him from interrupting it was already too late. Seto gently tugged on Sasuke's sleeve. But when he received no response he tugged again, slightly harder. Again he received no answer.

"Daddy?" He quietly mumbled.

Sasuke stiffed slightly at the sound of the small voice before he slowly pulled back. Wiping his face on his sleeve, he looked at Seto and tried to smile. It was a sad attempt, only managing a sad, broken, weak smile to go with his red, swollen eyes and flushed face. He sniffed slightly and opened his arms, not trying to speak for he knew he would only break again. Seto quickly flew into his arms, holding him tightly.

They held this embrace for a long moment before Seto mumbling to his father. "Are you okay, Daddy?" He whispered in a weak and scared voice.

Sasuke choked back another sob, though he couldn't stop the hot tears the flowed him his eyes. It took a long moment for him to calm himself enough to force out his words. "I don't know, buddy." He choked out, it coming out in a weak sob that he tried to contain.

Seto clutched him tighter, trying to will him some comfort as tears of his own began to stream down his face. Sasuke clutched his eyes close, more tears bursting out and leaned on Itachi again, making Seto between them. Itachi stood frozen for a second before wrapping his arm around them both.

"I'm so sorry, my brother." Sasuke said in a strangled voice.

Itachi closed his eyes in response. "It's all in the past." he muttered after a moment.

xOx

Sasuke had excused himself from the table early, heading up to the bathroom for a shower to clear his head. He left in his wake confusion, shock and concern. Itachi had quietly finished his dinner with everyone else while Seto clung to Sakura, holding her tightly.

As soon as Itachi was finished he quietly excused himself as well, disappearing into his room upstairs. Ino and Naruto hovered by the sink as Sakura washed the dishes with Seto's assistance. Both were oddly silent about what had occurred during the dinner, instead weakly bickering with one another to pass the time and fill the awkward silence. Everyone awkwardly glancing at Mikoto periodically who was seated in her carrier, being the only one unaffected by the tension.

The evening seemed to drag on forever and it seemed like dark would never come. But fortunately night did come, bring another awkward moment with it.

Itachi pulled his cloak over his shoulders, the familiar black with red clouds meeting everyone's gaze. Itachi gently cradled a sleeping Mikoto in his arms, trying to savoir his last moments with her while he could. But he could only do this for so long before he passed her over to Sakura and turned to Sasuke who was holding Seto in his arms.

He pushed some stray hairs from his face and smirked gently to the boy, before placing a gently kiss into his hair. Seto looked at him questionably. "Are you leaving, Uncle Itachi?"

Itachi smirked gently before nodding. Seto's eyes welled and he reached out to him. Itachi stifled his shock and gratefully pulled the small boy into his arms. They shared a tight embrace, both not wanting to leave the other. But Itachi knew it was necessary. It was the only thing that could keep them safe.

After Seto was placed onto the ground, Sasuke walked his brother to the door.

"Do you have everything?" Sasuke asked only to receive a nod. "Even the snake?" He asked.

Itachi nodded again, smirking at his brother. He had insisted that since he could not accompany him to the border that Itachi would at least take a snake with him. This way, the snake can easily inform Sasuke that Itachi was clear and in the safe or had run into trouble. Itachi smirked. His brother was a worrywart.

They stared at each other for a moment before giving each other a gentle hug. Sasuke smiled sadly when they pulled apart and Itachi opened the door. "Take care of yourself, my brother." he said sincerely.

Itachi nodded. "You too. You have a nice family here. She's a real keeper. And your doing a great job with my kids. I'm proud of you, brother. I only wish I could give you more."

"Your doing the best you can and that's the best I can ask for."

Itachi nodded and glance behind Sasuke. Sakura stood a little ways back, holding Mikoto with one arm while she held Seto's hand. Itachi studied the picture, trying to memorize it. His future sister-in-law and her children. He smirked and nodded a farewell to her. She smiled in return.

Itachi turned back to Sasuke and smirked. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Sasuke said before he smiled at his brother, his final goodbye. Itachi smirked back and turned, quickly disappearing into the night.

Sasuke stood and stared into the darkness even after his chakra disappeared from range. He felt someone come behind him and without looking he knew who is was. Sasuke reached back and pulled Sakura forward. She smiled at him and leaned into him, still holding both kids close to her.

Sasuke looked at his family and smiled.

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**So there it is. i know it wasn't great or anything but, yeah. I'm kind of nervous cause i think you will either love it or hate it. I don't know.**

**So, confusion? Yeah, i didn't want to put a spoiler in it, so when Sasuke and Itachi disappear, thats when you have a spoiler. So if you aren't up to date, you may be confused. I'm sorry. But i don't want to reveal anything. I guess it's just the reason why Itachi did what he did. Sorry.**

**So please, review. Tell me what you think. And now that Itachi's gone, i have no clue where to go from here. . . .Help, please.**

**Randon note that yo are free to skip cause it just something on my mind: Hmm . . . you know, you today something happened and i can't stop thinking about it. I was walking out of school with my friend and she was talking about my sunshine's girlfriend and she said something kind of mean. So, me being uncomfortable about the whole thing, just stared straight ahead and nodded. And then she looked me right in the eyes and sayd "you know, it's okay to hate her." and i just looked at her and was dumbfounded. So i looked at her, just as serious as she was and said "No, it's not 'cause i don't know her." and she looked at me strangely and said "It's perfectly okay to hate her for going out with him." And i didn't say anything else becasue no, it's not okay. It's not any of my business whether they go out or not. So why would it be okay to hate her for something that's not even my business? I don't know. Just a thought.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Ello, my friends. Look, i updated! lol. So here we are, the 21st chapter of my story. I'm amazed it's still going. I never thought i would make it to 20 chapters adn now i'm at 21. I'm amazed. (And scared. Stupid thunder!) So, ummm. . .What do i have to say . . . . Hmm. . . .i know i was going to say something. . . . .But i forgot. Watch as soon as i post the chapter i'll remember. Cause that's just my luck. Well, i guess i would stop rambaling so you can read the chapter. (I'm biting my nails, I'm so nervous. I hope you like it, cause i think i might just loose some viewers or something.) Oh i guess i should put a warning or something. This chapter is a little suggestive. It;s nothing real bad. No lemon or anything (sorry but i'm way too innocent.) Oh! I remember! This chapter contains a small spoiler hint!**

**Oh one more thing. Thanks to all that have reviewed. It means the world to me. And thank you for all of you that have supported and given me advise on my poor suckish personal life. I seriously love you guys.**

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Sakura sighed and put another spoonful of peanut butter into her mouth. She idly moved from her spot at the counter to the back door, glancing out. It was in the late evening, the sun setting in the sky, bathing the entire sky in beautiful pinks, oranges, and purples. She stared out to the silhouette of the large tree, two figures sitting comfortably on one of the thick branches. A thoughtful look formed on Sakura's face as she gazed at the figures.

Sasuke had been sending a lot of his time in that tree. It was his thinking place. Today, he held Seto in his arms, both sharing the last warmth that the sun would offer today. She watched as Seto's silhouette raising his arm, pointing to something. She could image his smile. And she can image Sasuke's forced smiled.

The past few weeks had been hard, but the first week after Itachi had left had been the hardest, by far. And it had started right after Itachi left. As soon as both the kids were in bed that night, the tired couple had went to their room as well. They had laid down, cuddling together for warmth and comfort like everyday. But as Sakura slowly drifted to sleep, the smile that had formed on Sasuke's face just hours before slowly began to disappear. He stayed up half the night, just staring at the ceiling, his face completely blank.

Sakura awoke alone that morning.

She had wandered into both children's room, just checking in, and found Sasuke's large body crammed onto Seto's tiny bed, Seto holding him loosely while Sasuke held him for dear life. She didn't think much of it at the time but then he started acting differently.

Instead of the Sasuke she had grown used to, an empty shell had replaced him. He was unnaturally quiet, only speaking to Seto and Mikoto or when absolutely necessary. He was often more in his own head, then in his actually body. He was in an almost zombie like state, never really knowing what exactly was going on around his body.

And he had developed strange habits. He spent most of his day sitting in the tree in the back yard, in his zombie like state, thinking. He started eating less, resulting in some weight loss,- though Sakura doubted he even noticed. If it wasn't for her reminding him to eat, he probably would've forgotten altogether. He didn't go to sleep until the wee hours in the night, though he laid down at the same time as Sakura, and woke up at odd hours in the night when he did sleep.

And although all of this worried Sakura to no end, it was how his relationships with everyone that really worried her. He didn't talk to people anymore. He'd look at Ino blankly whenever she made a comment that would've cause a long argument. He stopped training with Naruto, and stopped going out to lunch or even spending time with his best friend. But that wasn't even the worse part.

He cringed away from all physical contact, excluding his children. Even cringing away from Sakura.

And it wasn't just like he tensed up when anyone touched him. He literally cringed away, like they burned him by their touch. He stopped hugging and kissing her. He stopped running his hands through her hair, holding her hand and gently smoothing his hands over her cheeks. He stopped lightly skimming over her lips and lightly tracing her arms, causing goose bumps to form along every part he touched. He even stopped cuddling with her at night. Instead, he laid on the farthest edge of the bed, his back to her usually and stared at the wall or ceiling while she tried her hardest to just go to sleep and not break down and cry.

And she felt utterly useless. She couldn't get through to him. He tried to talk to him but it was hard to even get his attention anymore. And it wasn't like when he was younger and she couldn't get his attention. No, now it just seemed like he couldn't focus long enough on her to get her point across. If she had managed to get his attention, he usually would space out before she finished. She couldn't get him out of zombie mode, and that made her feel useless.

She received no emotion from him for the entire first week. It was only on the second after Itachi left that some emotions came out. Though, they weren't the best.

[Flashback]

_Sasuke and Sakura slowly walked into town, going out for some errands. Sakura gently cradled Mikoto in a sling strapped across her body. She switched from watching Seto, who ran up ahead of them and was running around, to Mikoto, perfectly content by her chest, to Sasuke, walking though the streets like zombie, often running into people. She frowned as he continued to walk in a straight line, not wavering to avoid others. People swerved to avoid him, but he seemed clueless. Instead he alternated between spacing out and watching Seto carefully._

_It just so happened that Sakura was looking at Sasuke, her worry filling her entire stomach like a sinking weight that made it hard to move through the day, that Sasuke was suddenly very alert. He glanced at him questionably as worry crossed his face. She quickly turned her attention to Seto, just in time to see him trip and land on someone's feet, making the person stop._

_Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sasuke shot forward. He rushed to Seto, Gently pulling him to his feet, bending over to look at the boy.. He studied his form, making sure he was not hurt, and quickly dusted off some dirt. "Are you okay, Bubby?" he asked quietly. Seto flashed him a smile and nodded, not at all upset or hurt. It was just a clumsy moment._

_Sasuke smirked before remembering that Seto had fallen at someone's feet and had stopped. Sasuke hooked his arms under Seto's arms and went to pull him into his arms but stopped, still bent over awkwardly when he glanced up at the person. Everyone muscle in his body tensed, much to Sakura's surprise and confusion._

_Sakura glanced at the person for the first time. Danzo, the elder of the village stood there, looking down at the Uchihas in surprise. Sakura looked back at Sasuke, moving closer to them now. Sasuke stood frozen for a moment, his face blank, while his eyes held surprise before slipping to dull orbs. Sakura was nearly at his side when he suddenly thawed out, gently but still urgently pulling Seto into his arms. He held Seto tightly to his chest, angling his body so that he was between the young boy and the old man._

_Sakura looked at them, trying to understand what was going on. Danzo stared at Sasuke in surprise and confusion, but had a slight edge to his look, making Sakura think she was missing something. Seto stared at Sasuke questionably, total confusion about what was going on evident on his face. But Sasuke was the one that really confused her._

_Instead of the empty shell that he was just moments ago, Sasuke stood with lively emotion on his face, and burning in his eyes. But the emotion was the thing that shocked her. It was anger. Even that couldn't describe the look he was giving the old man. It was rage. It was pure hate._

_It was a shocking thing to see. She had never seen Sasuke so mad and glare at someone with so much intensity. You could feel his hate radiating off of him in waves, crashing into everything around him violently. Random people were stopping in the street to stare, feeling such a dark aura hat it was impossible to ignore._

_And Sasuke was another thing. His face was not contorted in pure rage or hatred. His face held deep scowl, and a vicious glare but otherwise was blank. But in a way, this made him seem so much more menacing. He looked deadly, even while clutching a child in his arms. Sakura just looked at him, not recognizing him at all. All she saw a man that looked like Sasuke. But this man scared her to death._

"_Don't come near my family." he suddenly said to the old man. Sakura felt her heart thump unevenly at the sound of his voice. His words were dripping in venom, the treat in his words coming out loud and clear. Sakura glanced at Danzo, who seemed shocked. Sakura was surprised the man was even standing. Sasuke's words combined with his sudden emotion landslide was enough to make any person wet their pants in fear. Sakura was scared to death of Sasuke at the moment and one glance around at the many people witnessing this confirmed that she wasn't the only one._

_Sasuke's glare intensified, if possible, before he whirled around, grabbing Sakura's wrist and tugged her in the opposite direction. Away from where they were going and away from Danzo._

_Sakura stared at Sasuke's back, completely confused and terrified._

[End of Flashback]

But as soon as he had calmed down, he relapsed back into the empty shell before she could get an explanation. The remaindered of that week was stressful because he seemed dig himself deeper into his own self, if possible. He began to completely ignore everything around him. While before he just didn't seemed to be able to focus on anything about him, now he deliberately ignored everything, excluding the kids. Sakura struggled to get any sort of reaction from him. Fortunately in the beginning of the third week, she finally got a reaction.

Sakura had gone into the bedroom to fetch him for dinner- he hadn't eaten anything since she had managed to get him to swallow a few bites of his breakfast yesterday morning. But when he ignored her, choosing to just stare out the window and watch the rain hit the glass, she became frustrated. "I should have known that you wouldn't respond. It seems the only person to get some sort of reaction out of you is Danzo." she muttered, not really thinking that he was even paying attention to her anymore.

But when he suddenly whipped his head around to face her, his eyes blazing, it startled her to say the least. She was so unprepared for this that she didn't fight back right away when he suddenly went off on her. He screamed and yelling, some of it not making any sense, others coming out as some of the meanest and worst things you could say to a person. But although he was saying all of these things to her, getting in her face at times, it felt like it wasn't really her he was yelling at. Like he was just venting, taking out his anger on some innocent person that may have nudged him. And Sakura just happened to be that person.

She stood there silently, listening to him. She didn't feel anger at his words or even the slightest bit hurt. In a way, she was hopeful. She hoped that by finally getting him to vent, he'll be able to come to terms with whatever he was struggling with and things would return to normal. But her hopeful outlook was quickly replaced with anger when he muttered something.

He had clamed down a bit, though she could still sense so much anger radiating off of him. He backed away from her so that he was no longer in her face, now a good three feet away. He studied her patient face and glared nastily. "Screw this. You don't know anything about what I'm going through. You can go burn in hell." he said, before he pushed past her, going for the door, probably going to go sulk in his tree in the rain.

But he didn't get a chance. Anger bubbled in Sakura's whole body as she shot her arm out, catching his wrist. She dug her nails into his skin, charka pulsing through her body as she roughly yanked him backward, nearly popping his arm out of it's socket. He crashed into the dresser when she released him, breaking the lamp and the picture frame that was sitting there as well as pushing the whole dresser back against the wall with so much force that there was now a small hole. "WELL, MAYBE IF YOU TALKED TO ME THEN I WOULD KNOW!" she screamed at him while he glared darkly at the ground, still sitting awkwardly on the dresser.

She stomped forward when she received no reaction. She hit him rather harshly, using some of her chakra, on the head. "I can't seem to be able to knock some sense into that thick skull of yours! I want to help you! I want to be by your side and support you! But you can't seem to understand that! You insist on handling everything by yourself! And instead of facing the problem, you run! You block everyone out and we just want to help! Why can't you ask for help?! You can't handle everything by yourself! Why don't you trust me!" she yelled.

Sasuke just glared at the floor, not looking at her and not answering her. She angrily hit him again. And again when he still didn't do anything. She pumped more charka into her fist, hitting his shoulder, not wanting to give him brain damage. "Say something!" she yelled and hit him again with more force behind it. It dimly occurred to her that bruises were probably already forming, though he didn't flinch or seem to be in any pain. She scowled and hit him harder. He didn't even try to block it. He didn't move an inch

She scowled. "I don't even know why I try. I'm obviously not getting through to you. I should have known that this wouldn't work out." she muttered, going in to get one more hit in.

But he moved suddenly, catching her fist before she could do anymore damage. "Then why are you here?" he asked, his voice quiet and icy cold. Before Sakura could even comprehend what just happened, Sasuke was across the room, slamming the bathroom door closed.

She stared at the closed door, frozen. She thought over her words and his. 'this wouldn't work out.' She thought for a moment. She had meant that she should have known that she couldn't knock some sense into him this way. But now that she thought about it, he could have taken that as something different. Like she should have known that they, as a couple, wouldn't workout. His words rang in her head.

"_Then why are you here?"_

A sudden crash was heard from the bathroom, making her jump. The sound of glass breaking and more crashes were heard right after the first crash. She slowly and cautiously walked over to the door. She waited for the noise behind the door to calm down before she spoke. "Sasuke." she called but didn't receive any response. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. Sasuke, please come out."

But he didn't.

She called him, begging him to come out for what seemed like forever before she started to break a little. A lump formed in her throat she as continued to call to him. She tried to swallow it down as she sank to the ground. Pain startled to grip her. She couldn't picture not being with her Sasuke. It was simply to painful. He was her Sunshine. How can you live without your light? **(a/n: Ha!)**

She pulled her knees up to her chin, leaning against the wall next to the bathroom. Hot tears flowed from her eyes, her sobs ripping through her roughly. She had really screwed this up. She buried her face into her knees, wishing that she could go back and take back her words.

The bathroom door slowly opened, so quietly that she hadn't even noticed. It wasn't until she felt something lightly brush up against her arm did she realize that she wasn't alone anymore. She pulled her head up and look at Sasuke, now crouching next to her, a sad look on his face, his fingertips gently brushing up against her arm in a comforting way. "Don't cry. I hate it when you cry."

She quickly scrambled to fix things. "I'm so sorry Sasuke! I didn't mean it that way! I was just so frustrated, although that's not a excuse. I'm sorry! I should have never said that! Please, Sasuke forgive me! Please, I don't want to lose you! I'm so sorry!" she sobbed, tears gushing from her eyes.

Sasuke just reached forward, gently brushing her cheek, wiping her tears away. He shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. This is all my fault in the first place." he said. Sakura opened her mouth to protest but Sasuke placed his finger to her lips. "Shh. I'm sorry." he muttered sincerely, while he leaned his forehead against hers.

"I love you, Sasuke." she whispered when he removed his finger.

He smirked. "I love you, too." he said, gently brushing his lips against hers.

Sakura smiled. That was their first fight as a couple. And she was glad it was over. And everyone was right. Making up feels so much better.

Sakura kissed him passionately, feeling great even as the bathroom and the dresser area was ruined and her face a mess. Sasuke kissed her back, making up for all the time they had missed in the past few weeks.

Their tongues danced intricately in their mouths as Sasuke pulled them to their feet. His hands slipped under her shirt as she moaned into the kiss, loving how his hands felt on her warm smooth skin. Her moan pleasured Sasuke making him push her against the wall. He hitched her legs around his hips and kissed her roughly, moving down to her neck. "Where are the kids?" she muttered into her skin.

Sakura tilted her neck to give Sasuke more access. It took a moment to organize her thoughts, as her whole body was screaming at her to concentrate on other things "They're staying the nights at Ino's." she said rather breathlessly. Sasuke's kisses faltered for a moment and he was about to pull away when he spoke again. "Hinata's with them as well."

Sasuke smirked and continued to kiss her. He liked Hinata. She was a bit shy at times but she responsible and he trusted her with his kids. But Hinata soon disappeared from his mind, instead he focused on Sakura.

Sasuke soon disposed of Sakura's shirt, tossing it to the side while Sakura did the same to his shirt. Except unlike last time, they didn't rip the shirts off. Last time, they were very desperate, their hormones speaking for them. This time, they were taking it slow, savoring every moment.

When they finally made it to the bed, they slowly sank into it, not breaking their kiss. Somehow they had manages to get Sasuke's pants off, now he only clothed in his underwear. Sasuke broke the kiss after a moment. He stared at the girl underneath him. She looked utterly beautiful, and happy. But he would admit that he was slightly nervous. He wanted both of them to be ready before they take this huge step. He stared straight into her eyes. "Are you sure about this?"

She smiled up at him, dragging her eyes over his form. Her eyes halted on his exposed hip. In their haste to remove clothing it had pulled at the cloth of her underwear. Now she could clearly see his tattoo, the kanji. She read the single word that expressed him so clearly. _Survivor._ And it was true, he was a survivor. He survived the death of his family and the grief that went along with that. He survived the evils of the Sound, coming out of that hell hole a better person and a father. And now, he would survive this, whatever bout of depression this was. He would survive, and this time she would be with him.

She pulled herself up slightly, placing her lips next to his ear. "I love you." she told him, her way to tell him what he needed to know. She then lightly kissed his cheek before moving to his lips. They sank down into the bed again, as Sasuke gently removed her shorts.

Sasuke didn't get completely better right way, even after their night of bliss. He was more attached to Sakura now more then ever, and vice versa, but he still struggled with the past. It took a little bit longer for him to warm up to others again, for reasons unknown to Sakura. He had refused to tell her why he had went into his 'depression', saying he wasn't ready to talk about it yet. And she understood. Time would heal his wounds.

But as the days passed, things got easier. He reopened himself to their friends, bickering constantly with both the crazy blondes once again. He no longer cringed away from anyone, excluding a few die-heart fangirls who didn't care if he was a traitor (and didn't know he had a girlfriend. They had kept that fact from the village for the most part. Only their friends knew.)

But he still struggled with it in his everyday life. He had grown accustomed to a few things and now found it hard to go back to normal. He had lost weight and was now trying to gain it back while gaining more muscle. And he hadn't been able to sleep much anymore. He often laid awake at night with nothing to do but listen to Sakura's breathing and to think. And this was the worst time of day for him. He dreaded the night now. It was the only time that he was left unprotected from the depressing thoughts. And although, the he was coming to terms with it, he still doubted himself. He didn't want to relapse into the empty shell.

It was the reason that Sasuke was forcing a smile for Seto. He didn't want to scare the boy. He didn't want his son to know that his father was afraid. So he faked a smile. _'It will be over soon.'_ He often told himself. He just needed time.

But he wasn't alone. He had Sakura, their bond even stronger than even. He took comfort in that fact.

Sakura pulled the spoon into her mouth again. Silently smiling at the taste. It tasted extra ordinarily good for some reason. A new brand probably.

She smiled thinking about her family now. Sasuke was on his way to being better, much to her liking. Mikoto and Seto was growing so fast that it simply amazed her. It blew her mind to think that night when Seto had first met her, calling her mother, was actually not that long ago. She had been forced to come into this house for a mission and she had somehow found a place where she fit.

And now as Sakura stared out into the backyard and at the two most important men in her life, she felt like was really part of the family. Not only because of all the love but there was something more. Something had changed. Something that now tied her to this family even tighter then she already was. And although she wasn't quite sure what it was, she was glad it happened.

She smiled, throwing the empty jar into the trash and placing the spoon into the sink. She gently pulled Mikoto out of her baby chair and into her arms. She turned on her heels and went for the door, intent on joining her boys in watching the sun set.

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**Well? Please say you didn't hate it. . . I'm scared cause i don't know what to expect. Do you like what i did for Sasuke amd Salura's relationship? Do you see where i'm going with this and do you like it? Please review! **

**Sorry i didn't write a huge authors note. But it's about 12:30 and i was supposed to be upstairs like two and half hours ago. But i had to get this chapter up! Well bye for now so i don't get eaten.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Finally the chapter is done. I had started writing this the day after i posted the last chapter and i spent the whole day frying my brains out at the compooper. Then i tried to work on it whenever i got a chance during the week but i was also working on my English Project so i didn't get much done. But alas, 'tis finally done! And ay, i did say 'tis. My project was on Romeo and Juliet and i had to write a little in old English and i sort of got used to it. I had to go back and find all the times i slipped up and put it in this chapter. So if you find any, tell me. In fact, first person to find some old English in this chapter will get the next chapter dedicated to them. Yeah.**

**So speaking of dedications, this chapter is for someone. Ay, someone very smart. So, Hektols this chapter is for you. Why, thee might ask? Well, my dear friends, i'll tell thee. They were very clever and were able to pick up on some hints on dropped at the end of the last chapter. Ay, the last lines should have intrigued you. (I was afraid that no one would catch on until you reviewed, so thank you) Ay, thou guessed right! So this chapter is for you cause you make me happy. Finally someone is on the same wavelength as me!**

**Enjoy.**

**- -**

Sakura skimmed over the shelf one more time, and then looked down to her list. They were only lacking in a few necessities but otherwise they were still good. But they were out of peanut butter so Sakura thought they might as well restock some of the other foods as well.

She shuffled out the door, locking it behind her, seeing as she was the only one home. Sasuke was taking care of Mikoto and had gone to pick up Seto from daycare. She herself was supposed to be busy all day at the hospital. But she was overwhelmed with a sudden wave of nausea and she rushed to the bathroom. Unfortunately, Tsunade happened to be with her at the time and became very worried. She practically had to beg Tsunade to let her stay, saying she felt better, which she did.

Tsunade reluctantly allowed her to stay, but was watching her. So, when Sakura rushed to the bathroom a second time that day, she was ordered home. Sakura grudgingly complied, though she felt it unnecessary. She felt fine for the most part. She didn't know why she was getting suddenly sick. It was probably all that peanut butter.

It's basically all that's she's eaten the past few weeks. It's all she's wanted to eat for awhile. But even if she wanted to eat something different, which she didn't, all of the other food tasted . . . off. If she had prepared something like she normally did, it tasted off. More than once had Sasuke stopped her from throwing something away. But when he tasted it, he didn't find anything wrong with it. So, she just ate peanut butter while they ate the off tasting food. It's kind of weird, though. She always yelled at Ino for eating it straight from the jar and now she often found herself doing the same. Even weirder, she like peanut butter, but it was far from her favorite food and now that's all she wanted to eat.

Sakura walked at an even pace through the streets, weaving in and out of peoples' way. It didn't take long for her to reach the grocery store, and she quickly went in. She grabbed a large basket, seeing as they didn't need much food. She smiled; her first stop, the peanut butter. Although it was probably making her sick she wanted some so badly.

After putting four jars into her basket she headed to the next aisle, looking for the next thing on her list. She was looking in the cereal aisle- scrunching up her nose at her favorite kind and instead opting for a peanut butter flavored cereal when she heard someone call he name. She looking to her right first, seeing nobody and then to her right, seeing her mother coming down the aisle toward her. She smiled.

"Hey Mom!" she called and quickly rushed to her, hugging her tightly.

"Oh Honey. We haven't heard from you in awhile. We miss you at home." Sakura's smiled faltered slightly. It was true. Sakura had been avoiding her father, not wanting to have the awkward confrontation after what he did. And she hadn't seen her mother in awhile either because she never stopped by her old home. Her mother was a stay at home mom, working to keep the house up and running and taking care of Sakura when she was little. She did mend clothes for all sorts of people in the village and they paid her to do it but she didn't call it a job. She hadn't seen her parents since the dinner fiasco. She had even avoided them on her eighteen birthday last month.

"Yeah, I've been busy." Sakura said

"Well of course, with the hospital and your mission. You don't stop working at all, do you? They surely don't pay you enough. So, speaking of your mission, how's Sasuke and his darling child?" Mrs. Haruno asked kindly.

Sakura smiled back, though she was starting to feel uncomfortable. The entire village was unaware that Sakura and Sasuke were dating, though there were rumors. And her mother, trusting her daughter so dearly and never one to believe the many things people say, was still under the impression that Sakura was only in that house because of her mission. Her mother was probably counting the days on the calendar at home when Sasuke's probation was over and Sakura was allowed to her return to her apartment, a mere block from her parent's home.

"Oh, they're great. Sasuke's keeping himself busy while under probation (_although some of his 'activities' may happen to kind of naughty and involving your oh so trusted daughter that you would definitely wouldn't approve of_. Sakura added in her head.) and Seto's in daycare now and is doing so well. He's come out of his shell and we've become really close. Oh! And there's another child in the house."

Mrs. Haruno nodded her head. "Yes, I heard about that but I never saw it so I didn't believe it."

"Yeah. Her name is Mikoto Uchiha. She's about 5 months old now."

"Oh. Well I would like to meet her sometime. You know, whenever your free. We could have lunch or something." she said innocently but Sakura knew her better. She wanted to have dinner with her and Sasuke again, but she was hinting at it very briefly. Her mother was never one to just invite herself over for dinner like her father was but she wasn't one for having a causal lunch either.

Sakura smiled awkwardly. "How about dinner?"

"Oh, your father and I would love that! When?" she mother said cheerfully, having gotten exactly what she wanted.

"Umm. . .Well, we can't do it tonight. Everyone in the 'Konoha 12' are in the village tonight so we're all going out for dinner. How about Friday night?" Sakura asked, laughing slightly at the nickname the village had given Rookie nine plus team Gai.

"That would be lovely! I'm looking forward to it. Well, I better get going now. I have someone that is going to drop off some clothes today and I need to be there to meet them. See you Friday." she said, giving her daughter a tight hug before walking away. She got to the end of the aisle and turned. "Oh. Sakura. Do you think you have enough peanut butter?"

Sakura smiled. "You'd be surprised at how quickly we go through it at our house." She said back, not missing how her mother eyed her at the words 'our house'.

xOx

Sasuke stood outside the Academy, leaning against a tree with Mikoto in his arms. He glanced at his watch. He had come to pick up Seto earlier then he thought and was left to just stand around and wait. He sighed, looking around.

Parents gathered around, waiting as well, all of them in groups. Some of the fathers stood by each other, glaring at the traitor while another group of fathers stood around completely ignoring Sasuke off to their side, all by himself. A large group of woman stood a little ways away, gossiping by the way they kept looking over at him. There was other groups as well, all minding their own business. But Sasuke couldn't help but notice that he was the youngest here, him 17 years old while everyone else was in their twenties.

He quickly forgot about everyone else when he felt a strange chakra signature come into focus. He had been feeling this chakra for awhile now, flicking in and out of his focus. It was strange, no only was there no one besides his family or friends around whenever he felt it but it was extremely weak. It was so weak and small that he knew he was imagining it. He had never heard of someone living off the much chakra. It seemed impossible, so he had to be going crazy or something. And even weirder, the strange chakra seemed to be growing, little by little, and becoming stronger each day.

Sasuke looked around, trying to find the source of the strange chakra but was distracted when he saw Sakura coming toward him with a smile. Confusion washed over him. Wasn't she supposed to be working right now? But instead she had a grocery bag in her hand.

She smiled brightly when she finally made it to them. She smiled down at Mikoto, gently kissing her forehead, before looking up at him. She smiled and gently kissed him in greeting. He kissed her back and then pulled back and glanced behind her. Almost all the parents had turned to stare at the couple, shock, confusion, disbelief, and disgust coated their faces. Sasuke turned back to her, ignoring everyone else. "What are you doing here? I thought you were working today."

She shrugged very nonchalantly. "Tsunade sent me home. So I went home and was hungry but we didn't have anymore peanut butter so I went and bought some. And I thought I'd meet you here." She said, holding the bag up, hoping he wouldn't ask why she was sent home. She hoped he would just assume it was too busy at the hospital so she sent her home early like she did sometimes.

Sasuke nodded and glanced into the bag. "Since when did you like peanut butter so much?" he asked, never remembering her eating so much of the stuff. He'd noticed that was all she'd been eating really for the passed few weeks and he found it strange.

She shrugged her shoulders again. "I don't know. Oh, before I forget. I ran into my mother today at the grocery store. They're coming for dinner Friday night."

Sasuke groaned. Great another night of torture thanks to Mr. Haruno. Sakura glared at him as he put Mikoto into the carrier by his feet. "Oh calm down. My father will probably be on his best behavior after what happened last time." she said.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and heaved a deep sigh, moping slightly as he looked at her. She smiled playfully and wrapped her arms around his neck, him wrapping his arms around his waist in response. "What will I have to do to make this up to you?" she whispered playfully.

Sasuke smirked and dipped his head down brushing their lips together. :Oh, I can think of a few things." he muttered into her lips smirking. They shared a deep kiss, much to all the parents shock. And they kept kissing until the bell to academy rang soon after their kiss started. Sasuke smiled and pulled back, looking toward the doors. Children were filing out, running up to their parents. Sasuke spotted Seto, coming out the door looking for the person here to pick him up. He watched as Seto them and his face warped to pure joy at seeing both his parents. Usually it was one or the other, or sometime Ino or Naruto.

"MOMMY! DADDY!" Seto screamed loud enough for most of the parents to freeze for a moment before they stared in disbelief as Seto ran up to the couple. Sasuke smirked and opened his arms at exactly the right moment for Seto to jump into them. They hugged each other tightly as Sasuke placed a gentle kiss into the boy's hair. "Hey Buddy. How was your day?" he asked.

"Great! We painted today!" he exclaimed before looking at Sakura and reaching for her. Sakura pulled him into her arms and hugged each other tightly as well.

After a moment Sakura put Seto down and they gathered their things. Seto reached for one of Sasuke's hands, while Sasuke wrapped the grocery (coughpeanutbuttercough) bag around his wrist and grabbed Sakura's hand with his other hand. Sakura then gently carried the baby carrier in her free hand as they headed home.

xOx

Sasuke and Sakura were the last to arrive at the restaurant. They came into and was greeted by all of their crazy friends- Sakura spending time to hug everyone while Sasuke just nodded a greeting and took a seat, and situating the kids. He placed a baby seat to his left while he placed a big boy chair on Sakura's right.

Once everyone was seated , they called for the waiter, much to Choiji's and Naruto's pleasure. They quickly ordered their food and the stressed waiter ran off, terrified by such a big order. As soon as the waiter was out of view, Ino launched into a story and the laughs, the yelling and the noise followed well after they received their food.

It was only when everyone was finishing up their food when Sasuke felt the strange chakra flare. Naruto had launched into a story about a mission in the Land of Waves and had gotten really into it. Half way through the story he suddenly stood up on his chair and was mimicking a surfer. Sakura had reached across the table and yanked him down, using a bit of her own chakra to make it more forceful. And that's when Sasuke felt the strange chakra suddenly flare.

He froze momentarily, questioning if he even felt it. But after a moment he began glancing around, trying to find the source again. It was only then that he noticed Neji was doing the same. Their eyes locked. "Thou felt it, too?" Neji asked after a moment.

Sasuke nodded. "I noticed a few weeks ago. Thought I was going crazy. Good to know I'm not." He said, catching the attention of a few of the people around them. They looked at the two in confusion, having not felt a thing.

"What is it?" Tenten asked Neji but he wasn't focused on her. Instead Sasuke and him shared another glance and Sasuke nodded once.

Neji activated his Byakugan and looked around. At first he didn't notice a thing. But when he glanced back at Sasuke to tell him, something caught his eye. He froze. Staring at Sakura.

Sasuke glanced at Neji and followed his gaze, it landing on Sakura, chatting with Ino pleasantly. Alarmed now, he turned back to Neji. "What it is ?!" he asked but received no answer. Neji just continued to stare at her. Well, her stomach to be exact.

Slowly, comprehension dawned on Sasuke. Disbelief and sudden fear gripped him. With trembling hands he reached out and touched her lower stomach. She jumped slightly at his touch, not expecting it and blushed. The table blocked the view of his hand but she still blushed. She hadn't even told Ino yet that Sasuke and her had made it to the next step and here he was touching her under the table. She hoped he would keep his hand on her stomach and not move it lower or upward.

Sasuke focused on his hand, trying to feel something, anything. At first, nothing. And as his fear started to subside, he suddenly froze. Under his hand, something flickered. And after focusing harder, he realized with a start that the strange chakra was inside Sakura's womb. Growing.

He hastily moved his hand away, staring in shock at a totally obvious Sakura. "Seems like congratulations are in order." he heard Neji mutter.

Sasuke whipped his head over to him. "How is this possible?!" He asked, scared.

Neji stared at him blankly. "Well, I see no one gave you the sex talk. You see, when two people-" he started but was interrupted.

"That's not what I meant! How is it possible that I can sense it's chakra?" he asked Neji but it was Hinata that answered.

"Well, some people are more sensitive to detecting chakra. But, you can detect chakra as early as the second month." She said, having caught on what was going on.

Sasuke stared at her in shock. Sakura was at least 2 months along. Fear gripped him. Sure, he knew he could probably handle taking care of the kid. But he was really going to be a father now. He really was a teenage father. He hadn't planned for him to actually reproduce until he was older. He had so much going on now, what with his two kids already and his probation, trying to be a good little boy( although I don't think many will agree that he was being a good boy since he just got his seventeen year old girlfriend pregnant). He had planned to earn the villages trust before he had a kid of his own. He didn't want to bring another kid into the world with everyone hating it. Seto and Mikoto already had to deal with that. Why bring another innocent into the picture?

He looked at Sakura. She was still talking to Ino, and Naruto had now joined their conversation. How was she going to take this? What if she didn't want it? She'just turned eighteen last month. She probably wasn't ready for a kid. She could do so much in her life and a kid could mess that up. What if she wasn't willing to give all of that up? What was she going to do?

He shook his head. He was over thinking this. She probably wasn't even pregnant. It could just be a chakra build up over something stupid like that and he was freaking out over nothing. Stupid. He was being stupid right now. She wasn't even showing any symptoms. He suddenly stopped that train of thought as something occurred to him.

He suddenly reached out and grabbed her shoulder as well as hers, Naruto's and Ino's attention. She looked at him and saw his panicked expression and was alarmed. "Sasuke? What's wrong?" Panic and confusion setting in.

"Why did Tsunade send you home early?" he asked, very seriously.

Sakura stared at him in confusion. "I wasn't feeling good. Why? Sasuke, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean you weren't feeling good? Were you nauseous, at all?" He said, ignoring her questions.

"Yeah. I threw up twice. I'm fine now. I think it was just the peanut butter. Sasuke, what's wrong?" She asked, confused and worried.

"Oh! The Damn Peanut Butter!" he shouted, causing everyone to look at him now. It wasn't often that Sasuke shouted and even less often when it's about peanut butter.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked, ignoring how she heard Kiba mumble something about wanting to know what was going on.

"The peanut butter, the nauseousness, all those bathroom breaks, your taste bubs being off, the strange chakra. . . ." he said, staring in shock at the table.

Sakura looked at him, panic engulfing her. "Chakra? Sasuke? What is going on! Talk to me damn it!" she said shaking him. He looked at her, suddenly calm. This worried her.

He gently reached out and touched her stomach again, and she almost swatted him away, thinking it not the time. But she stopped when she saw the look of concentration on his face. She waited for him make the next move, because she had no clue what was going on.

He focused again on finding the chakra, making sure he wasn't making it up. When he felt it flicker beneath his hand, he opened his eyes and looked at Sakura's face. He took a deep breath when he saw that she was waiting for him, exhaling slowly. "Umm . .I feel a strange chakra. Right here." he whispered, using his thumb to rub her lower stomach gently. She stared at him in confusion.

"What?"

Sasuke took another deep breath, trying to think of another way to tell her, since she didn't get it before. His mind scrambled for something to say without being blunt. "Umm . . Okay. . When . .was the last time . . .you had your period?"

She stared at him for a moment, noting getting where he was going with this. But almost grudgingly she counted backwards in her head. Her eyes widened. And then she recounted. And again. Finally muttering, "Oh my god."

And then she went into full panic mode.

She wasn't ready for this! She just turned eighteen for Christ sakes! What was she going to do about being a ninja! And what was the villagers going to think? They weren't married, they were just dating. But they didn't know that. It's going to look extremely bad when she suddenly shows up knocked up by the village traitor. They will think of her as irresponsible. And what was the kid going to have to deal with? The Cherry Blossom of the village as a mother and the village traitor as a father.

Tears slipped from her eyes. She pushed the remainder of her food away from her, it making her nauseous all of a sudden. She was dimly aware of Ino trying to calm her, though she could tell she had no clue what was going on. But she didn't calm down.

Sasuke suddenly stood up and looked at Hinata. "Can you watch the kids for a moment?" he asked, receiving a nod in return. He nodded a thanks and then turned to Sakura. Her nudged her gently. "Come on Sakura. We need to talk." He said, nudging her still. But she still didn't move. He nudged her again, but received the same response. He quickly got frustrated, his nerves very unstable at the moment. Instead of waiting for her to comply, he simply wedged his arm under her thighs and the other on her back, lifting her into his arms bridal style. He began to walk toward the door but didn't get very far.

As soon as he was behind her chair, Sakura suddenly startled struggling against his hold. With more tears running down her face, she started screaming. "No! Don't touch me! Put me down! DON'T TOUCH ME!" she creamed, kicking and hitting Sasuke with chakra filled fists. Everyone in the restaurant turned to look, wanting to know what was going on.

Sasuke quickly set her down, shocked as well as slightly hurt. As soon as one foot was on the ground, she pumped chakra into her hand and pushed him away from her roughly. Sasuke stumbled back but didn't fall because he crashed into his chair, keeping him up but bruising his back. He looked at her, not bothering to hide his shock at her reaction. She glared back with tear filled eyes. "This is your fault!" she yelled.

He stared at her, his mouth opening slightly from shock. "W-what?"

"If you had just kept your damn pants on we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place!" she shouted. If anyone was confused about what was going on, they sure understood now. Half the people at the table couldn't stop their jaws from dropping, not to mention the rest of the restaurant.

Sasuke stared at her in disbelief. "What? If I do recall, it takes two people to have sex." he said back, shocked that she would blame the whole thing on him.

"Well, the condom is the guys job!" she shouted.

"Well, did birth control ever occur to you?" Sasuke snapped back.

Sakura was quiet for a beat before glaring harshly at him. "Are you saying this is my fault?"

Sasuke sighed. "No, I'm saying that both of us are responsible for this." he said calmly, trying to hide the fact that she hurt him with her reaction. Sure, he didn't expect her to start jumping for joy but he never expected that. He was afraid to ever touch her now.

Sakura glared for a moment more, tears spilling over still. But then her rational side started to think this through. They were in this situation now, and there was no going back. Putting the blame on him would not make this disappear. In fact, she was probably hurting him by even flipping out that way. Her eyes widened, fresh tears gushing out. She flew into his arms, though he didn't wrap his arms around her, instead holding them above her head.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to flip out like that. I'm sorry!" she sobbed into his chest. Sasuke stared at her in shock again, this time feeling whiplash from her sudden mood swing. First she didn't want him to touch her and now she was hugging him. Should be back away? Hold her tight? Slowly, he lowered his arms, lightly touching her. When she didn't push him away, he applied more pressure. She tightened her hold on him as well.

They held this position for awhile longer, waiting for Sakura to calm down. Sasuke gently rubbed her back in a comforting fashion. She tightened her hold again. "I can't do this." she suddenly said, it coming out muffled by his chest.

Sasuke shook his head. "Yes, you can. You are a strong woman. You can do this." He said, but he could feel her shaking her head as he was saying it.

"I can't." she sobbed, gripping him so tight that he could she was starting to cut off his circulation. He pushed this fact out of his head and tried to calm her again.

Once she was calmer, he gently pulled her away from his body. He held them apart just far enough that he could look her in the face while he tried not to focus on the sudden rush of his blood, it almost painful. "Princess, you _can_ do this. I'll always be right next to you. _We_ can do this."

Sakura stared up at him for a moment, thinking it over. She smiled weakly and nodded. Sasuke smirked as well. "Now, that's my girl." he said, gently, wiping her tears away. But more tears came out, this time in happiness as the shock wore off. Sasuke stared at her warily as she laughed weakly and the tears flowed her eyes.

"Sasuke, we're having a baby." she mumbled.

Sasuke smirked in return ."I know." he said, pulling her into a hug.

As soon, as the embrace began Kiba stood up and clapped, a few people joining him as well. Sasuke just glared at Kiba while Sakura blushed, embarrassed. Kiba smirked and raised his glass. "A toast! Anything to give us an excuse to drink!" he shouted.

Sakura glared at him before pulling away from Sasuke and walking over to him, two chakras inside her flaring. "You're a dick!" She shouted before hitting hard on the shoulder, he winced. "If I can't drink tonight, then neither can you!"

Kiba winced, rubbing his shoulder. "Ouch. You didn't have to get all rough with me, _Princess."_ he said, mocking Sasuke's pet name for her.

This time both Sasuke and Sakura went after him, much to everyone else's enjoyment.

**Well, what do you think? Do you like where i'm going? Or should i pitch this chapter? Everyone was saying they wanted Sasuke and Sakura to start having children awhile ago and i was chewing on the idea. Do you still want it? Or should i back track a little? **

**okay, not a really big note today, cause i just want to post the damn thing. So please Review and i hoped you enjoyed!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello. Well i should probably start out by saying i made a few edits. Nothing major, i promise. I was just doind a timeline and i realized i made a small error. I like the age difference between Sasuke and Seto, so to maintain that i made to bump up Sasuke's age by one year. So that means that Sasuke is no longer 17 but actually 18, while Seto is currently 3 years old. Also, Sasuke is turning 19 in July while this chapter takes place in the middle of April, meaning that Sakura turned eighteen last month. So i made a few edits in a few chapters to fix my small mistake, even though, it doesn't really matter. So yeah. I only checked a few chapters, so if you find that i missed a edit in one of the chapters, i would be extremely grateful to you if you told me. I'll give ou a special mentionor decication or something.**

**Speaking of which, this chapter goes out to** shkh4ever **for being to first to catch my old english slip last chapter. You make me smile and yes, it does sound like something Lee would say.**  


* * *

Sakura sat in one of the hospital rooms, staring off into space. She dimly thought about how uncomfortable the bed she was sitting on was, she was amazed that the patients never really complained. She sighed and glanced at the clock on the wall, she should have known that Tsunade would take this long, probably checking all the tests twice.

Sakura absentmindedly swung her legs back and forth, trying to entertain herself slightly. She was staring out the window at some birds when the door suddenly opened and slammed close loudly. Sakura jumped at the loud noise and stared at Tsunade's back, as she was facing the counter writing something on Sakura's file. Sakura felt fear well up slightly and she took a deep breathe. "Is there something wrong, Sensai?" she asked timidly.

Tsunade stiffened and then turned and glared at her student. Sakura wasn't surprised in the least, but she was afraid. Sakura hadn't been able to tell her Sensei that she was pregnant, for fear that the women would rip her head off. Instead, she had decided that since Tsunade must know that she should go for a simple check up. Tsunade will find out and Sakura won't have to tell her, it was a perfect plan. Well actually it was a perfectly flawed plan.

Tsunade glared and her eyes narrowed at the girl before she forced out words through clenched teeth. "I'm going to kill that Uchiha."

Sakura tried to smile and laugh it off but it came out sounding rather weak. And guilty. Tsunade glared turned into a suspicious stare. "You know?" she asked with a dangerous edge to her words.

Sakura swallowed loudly, but didn't try to speak. She knew that her voice would betray her so her nodded weakly instead, afraid of the reaction she would receive. And she was right to be afraid.

"WHAT!?" Tsunade screamed while throwing the clipboard with Sakura's chart into the air, it clattering nosily behind her, as she march forward and gripped Sakura's arms, shaking her slightly. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

Tsunade shook her again, looking straight into her frightened wide eyes. "Why the hell are you having sex? Your eighteen and your not even married yet! Why would you have sex!? I thought you were going to wait until you were married." She shouted angrily, probably scaring the poor souls that happen to be on the same floor as them.

Sakura looked down, afraid to met the eyes of her angry sensei. Tsunade shook her again, trying to get an answer out of her. Sakura paled. "Umm . . . Can you not shake me? The morning sickness is hard enough to deal with without you shaking me."

Tsunade frowned at her comment but released her anyways, moving to lean against the counter in the room. She folded her arms under her breasts and took a deep breath, calming herself. She took a moment to fully compose herself before speaking. "Okay. Now answer my question. Why?"

Sakura was quiet for a moment, staring at the ground. She took a moment, trying to remember what she had come up with to explain herself on the way over here. "Well, the plan was to wait until I was married, but I just changed my mind." She started, but was interrupted.

"Changed your mind? That isn't something you just change your mind for. Did he pressure you? Because if he did I am going to ki-"

"No, he did not pressure me. It's just when I'm with Sasuke, I don't really care about anything else. I trust him and love him with all my heart. I was ready for the next step and so was he. It seems silly to wait."

"Silly to wait? Your eighteen and he's turning nineteen in a few months. Your both too young for this. You should have waited until you were older and absolutely sure that this is what you wanted before yo-" Tsunade started but Sakura interrupted, shaking her head.

"I don't care. Yes, we are young but that doesn't matter. We love each other. End of story. We are both absolutely sure that this is what we want. As long as we are together, that's all that matters. I don't care what the villagers think, or the elders, or even our friends. You can give us your blessing or not but it doesn't change a thing."

Tsunade stared at her student, her face completely blank. Sakura sat on the uncomfortable bed, staring stubbornly up at her teacher. They were still, each thinking. Tsunade sighed after a moment, knowing that her student was too stubborn for her own good. Now she had two options. One, give in and help Sakura through this pregnancy or two, hold her ground and get into a large fight, probably breaking the bond that they had formed over the years.

Tsunade took a deep breath and picked up the clipboard from the ground, looking over the chart. "Okay, my stubborn student, you are 6 weeks along now, meaning that you will be able to sense the chakra very soon. Now-" She startled.

"Does this mean you give us your blessing?" Sakura asked suddenly.

Tsunade stared at her momentarily, a frown on her face. "I'm still not to happy about this, but I'm not going to let you go through this alone. You are like a daughter to me. I'm going to support my daughter, through the good times and bad."

Sakura smiled before getting up and giving her second mother a hug. Tsunade returned the hug, a smirk on her face.

"Sasuke can all ready sense the chakra." Sakura suddenly stated after a moment.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Of course he can, that stupid Uchiha prodigy brat."

Sakura frowned at the older woman, sitting back down on the uncomfortable bed as the check continued. "You're not going to be mean to him for now on, are you?"

Tsunade smirked. "Why, yes I am. And don't give me that look. Both of us can be stubborn." She said, as she looked at Sakura's disapproving look.

"Oh, come on. He already has enough people hating him and when this gets out, he's going to be even more hated. Be nice. Please." She pleaded.

Tsunade frowned. "I'll think about it." she said, although Sakura could tell that she had won. Sakura smiled and placed her hand on her still flat stomach.

xOx

The remainder of the week had passed quickly, much to both teens displeasure. They simply were not looking forward to Fridays dinner, and yet it sprung up on them quickly. Sasuke woke up that morning feeling it was going to be a very bad day. The weather contributing to the day as well as the events that were sure to come.

Although it was the middle of April, Konoha was stuck in the middle of a sudden heat wave, creating an abnormally hot day. The teens had woken up at 4 in the morning sweating. Sakura had kicked off the blankets from her overheated body hours before but still had to move to the cold bathroom floor to find some relief from the sudden heat. It wasn't long before Mikoto started to get uncomfortable in the heat as well and had started to cry. It was a great way to start the morning. And it just got worse.

Sasuke had to get started in the kitchen right away for they were having more guests then they had originally planned for. They had expected to have Sakura parents and Naruto and Ino over for dinner but Mr. Haruno had decided to change that. They had received a call from Sakura's mother, who was deeply sorry for her husbands actions, earlier on in the week. Apparently, a friend of Mr. Haruno was in the village with his family, but for only one day. So, not wanting to cancel their plans for the Friday dinner and be rude, Mr. Haruno had just invited the family over to the Uchiha compound as well. How thoughtfully of him.

Sasuke now had to make enough food for four extra people, not knowing what kind of food they liked. Sakura had offered to help him in the kitchen, but with her taste buds being off and very sensitive to smells, Sasuke didn't think it was wise. (Un)Fortunately, Naruto and Ino deiced to take it upon themselves to help out. Meaning that they bickered with Sasuke all day, ruined some of the food they helped with, and made a complete mess.

While all of that was happening, Sakura was working. She had been neglecting her duties at the hospital lately and a large pie of paperwork had built up. Tsunade insisted that Sakura stay at home and rest, for she was going through some side effects of the pregnancy, like exhaustion and morning sickness. So Sakura had taken the paperwork home and had been slaving away for a good portion of the day on them.

But with Sasuke cooking, it made the house even hotter then it already was. Sakura had taken to sitting in the bedroom with two fans, blowing her paperwork everywhere, and a bottle of water that she used to spray herself regularly. Seto and Mikoto stayed with Sakura for most of the day, sitting in front of the fans.

Sakura had waited until it got later to shower and get ready for the dinner. She had let her wet hair lay limply on her neck for it cooled her slightly, until it dried, where she then pulled it up into a messy bun. She had pulled on a extremely thin tank top and then pulled a light spaghetti strapped tank top that was low-cut and tight around her growing breasts but flared out and hid her stomach. Even if she wasn't showing yet, Sakura was nervous, deciding to not tell her parents the news just yet., and decided to just play it safe and go with that shirt. The shirt was long, reaching her butt, so it was almost a dress, but she wore a pair of short shorts underneath because it was too short not to wear anything under but too hot to wear anything else.

She had took a break from her paperwork an hour before dinner, although she was nowhere close to being down with it all, and went down stairs. She went into the kitchen briefly, but it was extremely hot in there and the smells still strong. She wondered over to the couch and was quickly swept into a deep sleep.

When she awoke she became aware of a few things right away. One, it was much cooler now, probably because they had turned on the AC finally. Two, Seto had joined her on the couch and was currently cuddled up against her stomach, knowing that he was getting a sibling soon, as Sasuke explained to him. Three, their guest had arrived, so she must have been sleeping for at least an hour. And finally four, her mother was currently taking a picture with Seto curled up with her.

Sakura frowned and groaned, causing her mother to giggle. "Sorry honey, did I wake you?"

Sakura yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, trying to sit up without disturbing Seto. "No. Hi, Mom." She said, offering a tired smile as she pulled a sleeping Seto into her arms, who cuddled against her again, and sat up.

"Oh, you don't have to get up honey." Her mother said, but Sakura shook her head.

"No, I was taking up the whole couch. There are guest here and they probably would like a place to sit." She said, looking behind her mother at the group of people she did not know. She smiled and carefully stood up, not waking Seto, and approached her guests and father. Her mother followed closely behind.

"Sakura, this is my friend, Mr. Takashi. We met on one of my missions to the Land of Waves. This is his wife, Mrs. Takashi and their kids, Ichiro and Aiko." her father said after greeting her himself.

Sakura looked at her guest. The whole family were citizens besides Mr. Takashi, from what she could tell. Mr. Takashi was a tall man with brown short hair and pretty shade of blue eyes. He was built strongly, but she could tell that he was weaker than her, probably a chunin at best. Mrs. Takashi was just a regular woman, a little taller than Sakura. She had reddish-brown hair with a pair of green eyes. She was pretty but nothing really special.

Their daughter was a rather pretty girl. She was young, like 15 or 16 years old at most, with rich red hair and blue eyes. She was small, shorter than Sakura and probably even Hinata. She was leaned to her side slightly popping her hip out, with a bored expression on her face. Sakura could tell she didn't want to be here.

Their son was another matter. He was tall like his father and young, probably 18 or 19 if not 20. He had the same color hair as his father, with his mother's eyes. And although he wasn't a shinobi he had a strong build. He was a rather handsome guy but Sakura quickly decided that she didn't like him when she noticed his eyes trailing up her body. He stared at her long exposed legs and her chest for a long time before he finally studied her face briefly. He stared at her with hungry eyes that made Sakura want to run to Sasuke's side.

She shifted Seto in her arms, so that he was covering her chest and so that she had one had free. She smiled at the older couple and shook their hands, before moving onto the daughter. "Hello, it's nice to meet you." She greeted, receiving similar greetings.

She then reluctantly turned to Ichiro. "Hello." she greeted, reaching her hand out to shake his hand.

He smiled sweetly back to her, but it made her stomach twist, as he reached out as well. But instead of just shaking her hand, he instead bent down and gently kissed her hand, never breaking the eye contact. "It is nice to finally met you, my flower. I've heard so much about you." he said in what might have been considered a sweet and handsome voice, but it only succeed to freak Sakura out. She couldn't help the slightly shocked and slightly weirded out expression from crossing her face. Couldn't he see that she was holding her son in her arms while he was hitting on her?

Sakura's father noticed her expression and nudged her, causing her to look over. He gave her stern look that only confused her. She stared at him for a moment before she realized that Ichiro was still holding her hand. She turned back to him and gave a polite smile and tugged her hand away.

"So, who is this little guy? Is he yours?" Mrs. Takashi asked, looking at the still sleeping Seto.

Sakura was about to open her mouth to say 'yes' but her father beat her two it. "No. It's just a mission that she is on to baby-sit a criminal and his son."

Sakura glared at her father. "Daddy!" While her mother also decided to chime in, since she kind of liked Sasuke. "Honey."

It was at his moment that Sasuke decided to come into the room. Out of the corner of Sakura's eye she noticed a change in the daughter. She went from looking rather bored to suddenly very interested in the new person in the room. You could practically see stars in her eyes as she looked at Sasuke, a sudden fan girl.

Sakura rolled her eyes and looked at Sasuke, greeting everyone very politely. Once he was done he walked straight to her, standing by her side. "Is he still sleeping?" He said, gently pushing Seto's hair away from his face. Sakura nodded and looked up at his smirk.

A sudden flash caught her attention and she turned to see her mother smiling, lowering her camera. She looked at her questionably and her mother only shrugged. "It looked cute. I wanted a picture. You know, you two would make a cute couple" she said winking. Sakura blushed, with slight fear while Sasuke coughed uncomfortably. It seemed that everyone else in the room, besides Mrs. Takashi and their two blonde friends how were sitting on the couch, also didn't like the comment Mrs. Haruno made.

"Well, with that being said, I say it's time to eat! I'm starving!" Naruto said from the couch, already getting up. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Don't you ever think of anything else besides your stomach?" He said calmly, in an almost bored tone.

"Naruto glared. "Yeah! I think about kicking your butt, Teme!" Naruto shouted back, while Sasuke just rolled his eyes and Sakura smacked him across the head for shouting such things in front of guests and for waking up Seto with his yelling.

xOx

Everyone gathered around the table, having polite conversation. Sasuke had the baby monitor between Sakura and himself, so that they could keep an eyes on the sleeping Mikoto up stairs. Mr. Haruno had insisted on sitting at the head of the table, much to Sasuke's displeasure. Sasuke was just about to sit down, seeing as it his house, when Mr. Haruno had said that it was better for him to sit there. Not wanting to cause trouble, Sasuke give in and sat himself in the middle of the table on the left.

But other than the incident, the dinner had been going rather smoothly. Mr. Haruno had been careful to exclude Sasuke from most of the conversation, although Sakura and Mrs. Haruno tried repeatedly to pull him in when he was snubbed by Mr. Haruno. Mr. and Mrs. Takashi seemed like nice people, proud of their family's accomplishments. Aiko was practically drooling over Sasuke from across the table, while Ichiro was a lot less obvious when he stole his glances and Sakura. It was at this time that both Sasuke and Sakura became aware of just how much Sakura's breast have grown and how well her shirt showed that off.

Sakura picked at the little food her plate, most of the food making her want to vomit. She glanced up briefly and noticed that Ichiro quickly looked away. She then glanced at Sasuke, who noticed as well, and was currently glaring at his food. She took a deep breath and picked at her food again, listening to Mr. Takashi and her father talk about something from awhile ago.

"Honey, are you okay? Your not eating much." Her mother suddenly asked, bring the entire table's attention to her.

Sakura blushed and looked at her food again. "No, I'm fine. I'm just not very hungry. I had a late lunch." she lied, while Sasuke discreetly grabbed her hand from under the table and gave a comforting squeeze. She smiled slightly.

"So, Sakura, I hear you're a good doctor here." Mr. Takashi said, now that the attention was on her anyways.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, I'm a medic nin so I pull shifts at the hospital."

"She trained underneath the Hokage herself and has surpassed her in skill." Mr. Haruno boasted, much to Sakura's embarrassment and Mr. Takashi's . . . .pleasure.

"Really? Interesting. My son is already a doctor in our village. A surgeon to be exact." He said proudly.

Everyone looked at Ichiro. He was staring straight at Sakura, not in the least embarrassed and actually seeming proud and very full of himself. He smirked when he noticed Sakura look at him. She quickly looked away and squeezed Sasuke's hand underneath the table.

"Yes, I eradicated that the top of my class. But right now, I'm just trying to focus on finding someone and raising a family." He said, not looking away from Sakura, causing her to choke on her juice she was drinking.

"Oh, are you okay?" her mother asked in concern.

Sakura nodded after a moment. "Yeah, I'm fine." She said, taking another sip of her juice, while Sasuke took a large sip of his wine. Naruto snickered at seeing this and nudged Ino, who was also taking enjoyment out of the situation.

It was at that moment that Mrs. Haruno decided to change the topic, having an idea of what her husband was put to. She choice to talk about movies thinking her husband couldn't succeed with his plans with that topic but he was persistent. "I haven't gone out to see a movie in so long." Ichiro had said and Mr. Haruno jumped at the opening that was just created.

"Oh, my Sakura loves movies. Maybe you can go out sometime." he said, causing Sakura to drop her fork and Ichiro to smile.

"Daddy, when do you suggest that happen? The next time he's in Konoha or when I go visit his home?" she said, trying to stress the distance between them.

Mr. Haruno smirked. "Well, the night is young still and I'm sure that our dear friends can always extend their stay here for a while longer."

Yes, I would love to go out tonight." Ichiro said, smiling at Sakura, while Sasuke just stabbed the food on his plate, which didn't escape Mrs. Haruno's notice.

"You know, that's a great idea. Why doesn't Sasuke, Ino, Naruto and Aiko accompany them." She said, trying to save her daughter who obviously didn't want this.

"It'll be too crowded." Mr. Takashi objected.

"But the more the merrier." Naruto said with his mouth full of food, ignoring Ino's comment to not speak with mouth full.

Sakura frowned and poorly faked disappointment. "Oh, well I just remembered that I have a ton of paperwork to do. I should probably get on that right after dinner."

But Mr. Haruno wasn't having it. "Oh, I'm sure it can wait an hour or two."

Sakura smiled, her anger bubbling inside of her. "Daddy, why are you pushing this?" She asked through gritted teeth.

Mr. Haruno frowned, not liking her tone. "Because it would be good for you."

"Well I'm sorry Daddy, I can't. Maybe next time." she said stubbornly, feeling her control over her anger slipping. But her father spoke before she could take a deep breathe.

"Why not." he demanded.

Sakura gritted her teeth harder. "Because I can't." she said, trying to say the least she can. Her hormones are all out of whack at the moment and she was having a hard time trying to control herself and she didn't want to blurt anything out that she will regret.

"I need a reason." He said stubbornly.

Sakura was about to speak when a wave of nausea hit her and she paled. Sasuke paled as well, and reached over and rubbed her back. Sakura took a deep breath, trying to hold it together and wait for it to pass. After a moment she swallowed and pushed her food away. The two mothers that the table examined her and exchanged a glance, a knowing look on both their faces.

Sasuke rubbed her back. "Are you okay? Do you need to go to the bathroom? Want me to get you a bowl or something?" asked worried. But Sakura shook her head, gaining color to her face.

"No, I'm fine. It passed. I'm fine." She said, taking sip of her juice.

"Sakura, honey, are you . . ." her mother trailed off.

Sakura paled again, but for another reason this time. "Am I what?" she whispered, frozen in her fear.

"Are you pr-" her mothered started but was interrupted by her father.

"Don't change the subject. I need a reason or your going on this date. You have no choice in the matter." he declared.

Sakura glared viciously at her father, her glare rivaling the Uchiha death glare. "Daddy, I'm eighteen. You can't boss me around anymore." she hissed out.

Her father leaned back slightly in his (cough-Sasuke's-cough) chair in shock, before he regained his composure. "Listen young lady, I don't care how old are you. You will not use that tone with me. I swear, living with this criminal has changed you. I thought you were smart enough not to fall for his lies that he has feed you. Now your even acting like him now! What happened to th-" he started but Sakura's anger finally bubbled over.

She slammed her fists into the table, shaking it and nearly collapsing it. "Daddy, you will shut your mouth right now! You can't just come in here and act all high and mighty when it's not even your house! You will not say such things about Sasuke either! You don't even know him but just like the rest of this damn village, you judge him for things you don't know about! I'm so sick of all of this!

"I'm not a little girl anymore! I can make my own decisions! I choose not to go out with Ichiro. I choose who I want to be with. I choose to do what I want, when I want! Just like how I choose to have sex! Guess what Daddy, I'm pregnant!" She shouted, while everyone froze, excluding Sasuke who took another sip of his wine and Seto, still eating, not knowing what was going on.

And as if to prove her point, her stomach suddenly lurched and her gagged. Knowing she will never make it to the bathroom, she turned on her heel and dashed to the kitchen sink, knocking over her chair in the process. Everyone sat frozen as they listened to her vomit in the sink, the meal suddenly not very appetizing anymore.

Sasuke got up after a moment and went to her side, pulling the strands of hair that wasn't in her bun away from her face and rubbing her back. When it passed, Sakura smiled weakly up at Sasuke. "Feeling better?" He asked, receiving a nodded.

Sakura washed out the sink and her mouth before heading upstairs to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Sasuke sighed and walked back toward the table. He picked up her chair and then grabbed her plate and her nearly empty glass. Walking back over to the counter, he disposed out the food, knowing she would not be eating it anymore and refilled her glass. When he set the glass on the counter, Sakura wondered back into the room, her breath minty fresh.

She sat on the counter next to her glass and stared at Sasuke, giving him an innocent face. Sasuke just rolled his eyes and walked over to a cupboard He quickly reached in and produced a nearly empty jar of peanut butter and then grabbed a spoon from the drawer and walked back over to Sakura. She smiled sweetly at him, loving how he spoiled her. "Thank you." she aid when handed the jar and spoon.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted and turned away, but was pulled back toward Sakura. She smiled and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck, refusing to let go. And in that moment, they forgot everything else except each other. Sasuke leaned against the counter, his hips positioned between Sakura's legs, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

Someone behind them coughed uncomfortably and they pulled away. Glancing back, everyone was staring, some in shock, some in disgust, while some were just unconformable. Sasuke and Sakura blushed and pulled away fully, Sasuke walking over to the fridge while Sakura just innocently opened her jar and dipped her spoon in.

A baby's voice suddenly came over the baby monitor and Sasuke quickly rushed to tend to her, ignoring how Mr. Haruno glared daggers at him. It was only then did Sakura see how her father must see Sasuke.

As far as her father knows, both Mikoto and Seto were his. So with him being so young, only eighteen at the moment, it really looks bad for him to have a three year old son and a 5month old daughter. And then you add in the fact that now, his only daughter has 'fallen into his trap' as he would put it, and was now pregnant with his third baby. She could only imagine how angry her father was at the moment.

Her mother suddenly stood up and slowly made her way over to her daughter, not before stopping at the same drawer that Sasuke had gotten a spoon from earlier and producing her own. She leaned against the counter with her daughter and dipped her spoon in as well. After a few silent bites, she finally spoke. "So, this is unexpected." she whispered so that only Sakura could hear.

Sakura nodded, feeling guilty. "Yeah. I'm sorry I sprung it on you that way. It's just my hormones are all whacky at the moment."

Her mother nodded. "It happens to the best of us. So, I'm assuming, since you never officially told us, that it's Sasuke's." she said jokingly.

Sakura rolled her eyes and smiled at her mother's comment. "Yes, it's Sasuke's. We've been dating since December. And I know, what you must be thinking. But Sasuke isn't some kind of man whore or something and just using me. He really is a great guy, and sure he made mistakes in his life but everyon-" she started but her mother stopped her by putting a glob of peanut butter in her mouth.

"I know. Sasuke doesn't seem like that kind of guy. I'm an excellent judge of character and I can tell you got yourself a real keeper. Now, you are going to be a mother soon. And while I'm worried that you are young I know you can do this. So all that is really bothering me is that I'm going to be a grandma while I'm so young." She said smiling.

Sakura smiled back and hugged her mother. "Thanks mom."

Sasuke came into the kitchen at that moment with Mikoto in his arms. He glanced at them by the counter and then moved over to the high chair, setting Mikoto down. And it was also in the moment that Mr. Haruno suddenly stood up.

Sasuke turned away from Mikoto once her was sure that she was comfortable and was about to go get some baby food for her when he heard the chair scrape across the floor. Not thinking anything of it, he calmly turned, only to be greeted with a fist to the face. He was on the ground before he even realized what happened.

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**Well, there. Done. Even though i had recieved some mixed reviews, i decided to move on and not back track. But, i must warn you. I'm going to try to take this slow.**

**Well, review, and let me know what you think. I'm dieing to hear.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello there, welcome to the 24th chapter of my first story, **_**Who's Back? **_**Lol. So what's up people? Enjoying life? Happy? Cause i'm not a the moment. I got the worst sunburn today and my skin feels like it is on fire! It hurts! I'm tired, cause i didn't get much sleep last night and it is midnight at the moment but i don;t want to go to bed cause it hurts to lay down. OW!**

**Umm. I'm just going to mention one thing and then i'm going to get right to it. Okay, this chapter i must give a special mention of someone because seriously**Annabelinda **just like blew my mind. I opened my mailbox today and there was 20 new messages (i hadn't been on in alwhile. Oh and tinky-z, sorry i haven't wrote back. I haven't been on and i was working on this chapter. But i will get to it!). Anywho, i opened one message and like lost my mind. Seriously that was the longest review i have ever seen! Like really, i bow down to you for writing that much! I really appreaite the advise and the compliments. Like, i don't know where to start.**

**1. Thank you for the praise. It means alot. 2. Yes, i am aware that the grammar is off. I'm horrible at it. Plus, i often just type too fast for my brain to keep up or vice versa and i don't catch the mistakes when i go back and reread. 3. Yes, it was intentional for Seto to act older then he actaully was. He is a Uchiha. Plus I'm getting to it, trust me. , Seto is growing. That is the reason that he was so shy at the beginning and differnt now. He has grown up and opening up as well. 5. The time-skip thing. Yes, a few months had passed from the beginning of the story up until this point. Now, i am aware of the fact that many of you may be confused as to just how much time has passed between one chapter and the next. But i have an excuse. I have no plot line for this stroy. I'm just basicly going with the flow. Until just recently, i honestly had no clue how much time had passed myself. So i had kind of mapped out the story so far so that i could figure out it out myself. I can't be sure, for i haven't looked at the map in awhile and i don't have it near me a the moment, but the story starts in late September- early October ish and it is now April. So sorry for the confusion. That was horrib;e planning and spaceness on my part. 6. Umm . . . i think thats it. lol**

**Well thank to all that have reviewed. It was the most reviewed chapter yet.**

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Sakura slowly made her way back into the bedroom, a fresh ice pack in her hand. She entered and looked straight at Sasuke sitting on the bed. He was sitting, his legs stretched out, with Seto's sleeping head on his lap and leaning against the headboard. His head was leaned back as well, as he stared at the ceiling, a melted ice pack held to his face.

Sakura slowly made her way over to the side of the bed, but Sasuke continued to stare at the ceiling. She sighed and pulled the ice pack off his face, switching it for the new one. Sasuke brought his hand up to hold it there, his hand on top of hers. She studied his blank face since he wasn't letting go of her hand. She hated when his face was blank. It was never a good thing. It usually meant he had something on his mind, or he was trying to block people out. It also brought up bad memories from when they were younger.

"I'm sorry." Sasuke suddenly whispered, halting Sakura's thought process. She looked at him questionably.

"Why? You did-" she startled.

"I over-reacted." Sasuke whispered, cutting her off. He sighed.

[Flashback]

_Sasuke turned away from Mikoto in her highchair and was greeted with a sudden pressure to his face. The force behind the sudden pressure caused Sasuke to lose his ground, much to his shock. His mind only registered one thing as he was falling. Mikoto was directly behind him and he was coming straight towards her._

_Fear filled every inch of his body as the air rushed passed him. Acting on instinct, he twisted his body awkwardly to get as far away from his poor daughter as possible. He wasn't able to get very far, as he felt his arm skim the chair as he feel, shaking the highchair and terrifying the poor little girl inside. Sasuke body collided with the ground, his head being the first thin to touch the ground._

_He lay dazed for a moment, trying to understand what happened exactly. His mind whirled and tried to collect everything it could to put the pieces together. His head ached and his lip and cheek felt funny. He heard Seto whimper, Mikoto start screaming and Sakura shout her fathers name and his mind dimly wondered if Mr. Haruno was in trouble. He fought against the haze that settled over his mind, telling himself that he had to get up and help Sakura's father. _

_He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his stomach and the breathe get knocked out of his body. His mind registered the pain quickly with the help from an old memory. He had gotten in trouble with Orochimaru, on the day Seto was born if memory served him correctly, for being late with his mission. Kabuto snuck up on him and injected him with some sort of concoction. His body fell to the ground, able to feel and understand everything clearly, but unable to move. Orochimaru had lectured him and then left, Kabuto following close behind. But not before kicking him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him._

_Now Sasuke's mind whirled again, listening to Seto crying now, calling his name, Mikoto's screams now almost ear splitting, Sakura shouting at her father, Naruto now yelling at her father as well. With this new information he was able to make out what happened and he felt stupid for not realizing it in the first place._

_Sakura's father had punched him in the face, the reason for his lip and cheek to feel weird. Then, to add to it, he had kicked him in the stomach while he was down. Oh, what a kind and loving man!_

_Sasuke groaned while he sat up, his head throbbing from hitting the ground. He pushed the pain away and reached up to his daughter. She was screaming loudly, with no signs of calming down. He rubbed her little pudgy hand and made shushing sounds. "Your okay." He reassured her before looking to Seto._

_He sat frozen at his seat at the table, balling his eyes out. While Mikoto was too young to have any idea what was going on, Seto was old enough to understand that a strange man had just punched his father. Seto was shaking uncontrollably while hot tears were gushing from his eyes. His face was extremely red, his eyes wide with terror. Sasuke hadn't even seen Seto freak out this much even when he had lost control of his curse seal in front of the little guy. _

_Maybe it was because Sasuke never gave anyone a chance to hit him. Sasuke was a skilled fighter and was able to see an attack before it was able to do anything. No once had Seto seen anyone lay even a finger on him. But Sasuke was truly not expecting someone to be bold enough to hit him in his own house. And maybe he was getting a little rusty. He hadn't been to train in awhile and his reaction times were lagging a bit._

_Movement caught Sasuke's eye, breaking his thought process, and he looked over to see Mr. Haruno coming toward him again, with Naruto trying to grab a hold of him. Anger filled him, and he felt his entire body grew hot. His Sharigan blazed red, the wheel moving so quickly that all you could see was a black circle spinning in his eyes. He strung to his feet in one second and was in Mr. Haruno's face the next. Everyone froze in shock since they didn't even see him move._

_Sasuke was so close to Mr. Haruno had he could smell his bad breath and could almost taste the fear the went through his whole body, like a splash of cold water. And with the hot anger running through his veins, he wanted to taste it. Bloodlust rushed through his entire body and he felt his control slipping._

"_Why would you do that? I understand that you are angry but really there is no excuse for what you did. I could really care less that you punched me. But you crossed a line when you did that in front of both my children." He whispered calmly with malice dripping from his words, making him look utterly terrifying. Sasuke unmasked all of his chakra, it surging and pulsating so that everyone could feel the immense power of it. Even Mr. Takashi's family, not being shinobi, could feel a sudden wave of intense power, filling the air with a strange, dark feeling._

_Mr. Haruno swallowed loudly and staggered back, clearing afraid of the teen. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. His eyes were wide with terror and his was shaking slightly._

"_Careful, that's a S class criminal." Mr. Takashi said, clearly worried about his friend._

_Sasuke snapped his head in Mr. Akashi's direction, making his entire family jump. "Shut the hell up." He said in the same deadly tone that he used on Mr. Haruno. Mr. Takashi leaned away from him, closing his mouth tightly._

_Moment caught Sasuke's attention. While Sasuke was focusing on Mr. Takashi, Mr. Haruno was able to compose himself slightly. He thought it was wise to try and push Sasuke ( as a way to try and regain some control and make him look stronger than he actually was or just a coward us act, Sasuke wasn't sure) while he wasn't paying attention. But with Sasuke's Sharigan, he saw it coming and quickly grabbed his wrist before he made contact with anything. Mr. Haruno gulped and tried to pull his hand away but Sasuke just gripped it tighter. _

_It was at that moment that Sasuke noticed that Mr. Haruno was wearing a ring. Sasuke's tongue slowly crawled out of his mouth, licking his lips, only to discover that Mr. Haruno's ring had split his lip open. Sasuke couldn't help the smirk that crept onto his face, alarming Mr. Haruno. With a almost sickeningly sweet smirk, he applied more pressure to the wrist in his grip. He looked like a sadist demon, taking pleasure in the pain he was inflicting on his victim. It wasn't long before Mr. Haruno was screaming in pain._

"_Teme! That's Enough!" Naruto shouted the next second._

"_Whoa, Killer! I think you made your point!" Ino shouted a second after Naruto._

"_Sasuke! Stop! Your losing control!" Sakura shouted as well, rooted in her spot by the counter with her mother by her side._

_Sasuke's paled and realized that he was indeed losing control and quickly let go, pushing Mr. Haruno back with more force than he had meant to, causing the man to stagger back._

_Everything was completely still when Mr. Haruno regained his balance and looked up at the teen. Sasuke took a deep breathe and suppressed the large amount of chakra that he had unleashed in his anger. He glared at Mr. Haruno momentarily. "Get out of my house." He whispered, though everyone heard._

_And with that, he spun on his heels and marched over to the screaming Mikoto. He quickly took her into his arms before going over to Seto and gently taking his hand and marching out of the kitchen, headed toward his room._

[End of Flashback]

Sakura sighed as well. As soon as they heard the door upstairs slam everyone flinched. No one moved for a long moment, letting everything sink in completely. It had all happened so quickly, Sakura hadn't even been able to move from her spot. She was just rooted there, still partially holding her mother, frozen in fear and shock. She had felt guilty, for if she had done something, she could have stopped some of it from occurring.

Sakura had felt bad and for some reason, probably hormones, she had started crying, unfreezing everyone in the kitchen. Her mother quickly pulled her into a hug and comforted her. After a moment her mother had moved her over to the kitchen table and then had gone to the counter to get her a paper towel to wipe her face with. And while her mother stepped away, someone took her place by her side.

"Oh, it's okay, sweetheart. I don't think any of this is your fault. I know you and I know that you were not the one to cause all of this. It's okay. We are going to get you out of this damn house and move you back into our house with us. I don't care what the Hokage says. We won't make you have a spend a moment more in this house." Her father said, pulling her into a hug.

But obviously, Sakura wasn't comforted by his words. But at least, he made the crying stop. Her body tensed as she listened to her father continue to ramble on, insulting her love and even slandering her children as well. Her anger didn't even have time to bubble before she just exploded. She torn herself out from his arms, pushing and knocking the chair over in the process. Her fathered gasped at her sudden movement and at how she was glaring at him.

"I believe Sasuke said to get out." She snapped harshly at him.

Everyone froze, shocked that she would say that to her father. After a moment, Mr. Haruno was able to unfreeze only enough for his jaw to drop. "W-what?"

"You heard me. Sasuke said to get out. You are being impossible and I really don't want to deal with you right now."

Before anyone could really react to her statement, she suddenly turned her attention elsewhere. She glared harshly at Ichiro, who just moments ago was checking her out again. She had felt his eyes traveling up her body, his eyes very lustfully.

"Are you kidding me? After all that just went down moments ago, you still are looking at me like that. Are you mentally capable of understanding that I don't like you at all? I'm pregnant with another man's baby! My boyfriend would rip you to shreds if he saw how you were looking at me!" She exclaimed looking straight at a wide-eyed Ichiro.

Mr. Takashi suddenly stood up. "I think it is time for us to leave. I will not have some slut talking to my son that way." he said, glaring at Sakura, who's jaw dropped.

"HEY NOW!" Naruto shouted at the man.

"Did he just seriously call her that!?" Ino shouted as well, shock and outrage on her face.

"Excuse me." Mrs. Haruno shouted at the man. "How dare you call my daughter that!"

Mr. Takashi rolled his eyes and looked to his son. "Son, you are much better off without that girl. We don't want someone like her marrying into our family." He stated arrogantly. "We will see ourselves out." He stated and walked his head held high, his son following closely after, looking at Sakura with sex-crazed eyes one last time. The two women of the family followed slowly as well, muttering 'nice to meet you' s and throwing apologetic looks at them.

It occurred to Sakura then, that she actually liked the woman in the family. Sure, she could have done without the girl drooling over her boyfriend, but seriously, it was Sasuke they were talking about. Mrs. Takashi was who she really liked. She reminded her so much of her own mother that she couldn't help but love her.

And anger that filled Sakura's body suddenly stilled, almost completely vanishing from her body. She must have looked like such a brat. She had showed her father no respect and yelled at him, demanding he get out of her house. And she looked like a slut too. It was bad enough that she was dating behind her parent's back, but then you add to it that she was pregnant. The whole thing was just a disaster. What a wonderful first impression.

Stupid hormones.

A light snore from Seto broke Sakura from her thoughts. She sighed. After the Takashi family had left, she ad tried apologizing to her father for acting the way she did. It wasn't right. But her father didn't seem to accept it, suddenly very quiet and brooding. Her parent's had left soon after, which was her father's idea.

Naruto had went home an hour ago, after mocking Sasuke for getting hit. Apparently Naruto has plans for an early morning training session with Lee and had to get home. He had teasingly invited Sasuke to join them, seeing as he was getting rusty. But Sakura doubted Sasuke was going to go.

"Don't worry about it. I think it would be best if we all just forget the whole thing ever happened." She said with an air of finality to it. She didn't want to talk about it and she didn't want him brooding over it either.

Sasuke looked at her. She looked extremely tired, just seeming to want to go to bed and forget the entire day. He could see that she was going to snap at him if he tried to talk about this, or blame himself. But really, he felt horrible. He had lost control and he was hurting her father! How was he just supposed to get over that? Shouldn't he be punished or something?

He opened his mouth to protest, and see saw this and shot him a vicious glare. Sasuke mentally cursed himself. She has spent way too much time with him. Her glare was almost as scary as the famous Uchiha glare.

He sighed. "Fine. We will just forget the whole thing happened." He said, though he had no intention to doing so. He could tell that she was not upset with him at all, much to his amazement. But he decided then and there that he was going to start training immensely again.

He had been slacking off, the punch being clear evidence to that fact for he didn't even see it coming. He was determined now more then ever to train his body and get himself back up to his peak strength, or exceed that point. He could probably train with Kakashi so that he could work on his control as well. He couldn't afford to lose his anger like that again because he might not be able to stop himself and hurt someone.

Sakura smiled at him, obvious to his thoughts. She held his gaze for a moment before she leaned forward, planting a light chaste kiss onto his lips. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. Though he would probably never willingly admit it, he always just melted a little because of moments like that.

Sakura moved her gaze to the sleeping Seto before she pulled him into her arms, careful not to wake him. "I'm going to go put him in bed and then we can all go to bed." She explained, receiving a nod in return, and made her way out into the hall.

Sasuke sat in bed momentarily before he decided to go check on Mikoto. He had placed her in her room after she had calmed down and fallen asleep but he just wanted to check in. He moved the icepack away from his face, leaving it on the nightstand beside the bed and walked into the hall.

He found Mikoto sleeping peacefully, completely innocent. He checked to make she that she was comfortable, seeing as they had just turned off the air. When he was satisfied that he could no nothing more and that she was perfectly fine, he silently crept into the hall.

He closed his eyes just as he was going into the hall, exhaustion from the . . . interesting day suddenly hitting him hard. He rubbed his shoulder absentmindedly before he heard snickering and froze. Snapping his eyes open he was greeted with the sight of Ino, in her robe and pajamas, leaning against the door frame of her guest room. (Yes, her guest room. She was there so often that she had her own room in the house, filled with her stuff, much to Sasuke's dismay.) Sasuke just glared at her, not feeling like dealing with her.

"Wow. Your face looks horrible." She stated bluntly, snickered as she said it.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, well aware of this fact. Sakura hadn't gotten around to healing him yet, not that he minded, he's lived with worse. His bottom lip was swollen on the right side as well as being split open from Mr. Haruno's ring. His normally perfect skin was now tainted by an ugly purple bruise on his cheek. Plus, you had to consider the bags under his eyes from his funky sleeping habits. He must have looked horrible, not that he really minded.

Sasuke walked calmly headed toward his room. "Yeah well, your face always looks horrible." he muttered to her.

Her jaw dropped in a fake appalled fashion. "Oh, Sasuke! Why would you say such a thing to me? After all those good times. I thought we were friends!" she exclaimed with great enthusiasm.

Sasuke stood, now outside of his bedroom door and stared at her blankly. "Why do you get all your energy?"

She just smiled in return, dropping the hurt act. She giggled slightly. "I don't know. It's a gift, really." she said, shrugging her shoulders with a playful smile.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Whatever, Freak."

She smiled in return. "Good night, Killer."

"Yeah, good night, Freak." He said, before they both went into their rooms.

Sasuke stripped down into his boxers and climbed into bed. Sakura stood in the bathroom, the door open so that he could see her, bending over slightly at the sink, washing her face. She joined him in the bed soon, immediately forming her body to fit against his.

She ran her hand over the tattoo on his hip. He had explained to her his different meanings to his tattoos. He had gotten the one on his hip shortly after Seto came into his care. It was when he was completely overwhelmed and he had gotten it to remind himself where he had come from and that if he had survived all of that, then he could survive parenthood too. The roses on his calf were for his parents. They were black to represent their deaths but still beautiful to show that he still loved them dearly. It was something it did when he came to the final stages of grieving, when he came to terms and moved passed it. His final tattoo, something that surprised her when she finally spotted it, was on top of his foot. It was the Konoha Leaf symbol, usually hidden away by wrapping his foot or by putting on socks. It really surprised her but he explained to her that even while he was away that he never stopped thinking about his home.

Sakura slowly traced the dark outline of the ink, letting her mind cloud over slowly. It didn't take long for her to face asleep, though it took Sasuke much longer. After his zombie-like episode, he still hadn't been able to get back onto a regular sleeping schedule. No matter how tired he was, he found it hard to fall sleep now. It was the reason he had stopped training recently.

He had trained to gain more muscle on his body and build up with weight after his episode but had stopped after getting to a better weight. He was still adjusting to the funky sleeping schedule and he just hadn't had the energy to go and train. But he didn't care now, he was getting rusty and he couldn't have that.

Somewhere between two and two thirty in the morning, Sasuke had finally drifted into sleep. Unfortunately for him it didn't last long.

A banging noise of some sort ripped Sasuke from his sleep. He jolted upright in the bed, listening to the banging. He glanced at the clock, it reading three eleven. The banging momentarily stopped and Sasuke wondered if he had just imagined it, his mind clouded with sleep. Next to him, Sakura stirred slightly but did not wake up.

Sasuke quietly listened for any noise but was greeted by only silence. Everything was quiet, nothing moving in the entire house. But Sasuke was still alert. His heart pounded in his chest, for he feared that something was up. He couldn't have imagined the noise. It had sounded so real and was enough to pull him from his sleep. How could he imagine that?

And just as Sasuke was about ot go investigate, he froze again, the banging suddenly picking up again. Sasuke shook Sakura, panic filling him. She groaned and then glared at him. "What?" she snapped into the darkness.

"Go check the kids." He told her. She suddenly sat up too, the panic in his voice alarming her. She opened her mouth to question him but stopped when she became aware of the pounding coming from somewhere in the house. They jolted from the bed in the same instant, rushing inot the hall.

Just as the stepped into the hall, Ino's door flew open as well. Ino rushed out and took one look at her ninja friends before rushing into Seto's room while Sakura quickly rushed into Mikoto's. Sasuke rushed toward the stairs, following the noise. He cautiously made his way down the stairs, the banging much louder now. He scanned the room but detected no threat. After quickly but thoroughly checking all of his surroundings, he wonder forward, dully noting that he was only in his underwear.

It didn't take long for him to realize that the banging was coming from the front door. He cautiously crept over, fear welling up in him. He hesitantly when he finally reached it, the banging loud and impatient. Slowly, he gripped the handle and took a deep breath. He quickly opened the door, getting ready for anything but froze at the sight that greeted him.

A small form stood in front of him and he stifled his shock, immediately recognizing the person in front of him. And it was one of the last people he wanted to see that his door at three in the morning.

"Whoa! What happened to your face!?" Was the first thing out of said person's mouth.

_Oh fuck me!_ Was the first thought to go through Sasuke's mind.

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**Well, what do you think? I love to hear what you think.**

**Well, i'm not going to write alot. But i do have to say that i have a new poll up in my profile. Please check it out. The more results, the easier it will be for me to plan out a little of the story ahead. I'd greatly appreciate it.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Well, lets see. It's been awhile so i should have a lot to say. But oddly i can't remember. Hmm, well i guess i will just say that i'm sorry for the late update. I've been super busy and suffering from the dreaded writer's block. Um, what else? Oh, i closed the poll. Thank you for eveyone that voted, it helps. I also took it off my profile so that you can't see the results. That way most of you will be surprised when the baby is actually born and you will not be able to cheat and see the gender before then.**

**Well, i would like to do some special mention of people. Well, first, the following people guessed the correct person that showed up last chapter: **theradnessqueen**, **Kaydreams**, **alayneni**, **VeryBoredSoul **(oh and by the way, thank you so much for your concern about my sunburn. The damn sunburn was so bad that it blistered! On my FACE! My nose to be exact! It was so bad, that my nose didn't even resemble a nose anymore. It hurt like a bitch and i looked horrible and i had to go to school with it still looking horrible and i had to explain for several days what happened, and i had someone look at me and shout "EW!" and like ran across the classmroom. Fucking sucked. But your concern made me feel a bit better. thank you so much.),and** Sayaka Uchiha**. You guys are smat cookies. lol. Sorry if i missed anyone though.**

**Also i would like to mention someothers as well. First, **sweetD87 **because they messaged me and i felt like i better kick my butt into gear and quickly update. so, yeah. Sometimes you just need someone to remind you that you have stuff to do. Second, i would like to mention **CrazyGreyWolfGirl** cause their review was just funny to me. It made me smile. Like really big cause i thought it was so cute. Lol I'm just werid like that. Otay, now i must mention one final person. So now we have **XxXMiss'TeaseXxX**. Well, tinky-z, sorry i have not writen back. I'm constantly trying to beat my sister to the compooper so that i can check my mail but for some reason she is like a fucking ninja and gets there before me. So, i'm sorry. I will write back, tay?**

**Well, i'm going to stop ranting so you can just read the chapter. Hmm, i wonder if you just skim through my rantings, or if you actually sit there and read it all and then become frustrated with me cause i rant about nothing basicly so you feel as if you just wasted minutes of your life or if you just skip it all together. I'd be depressed if you just skip it. Alomost enough to cry. But then i would feel bad if you feel like you wasted your time reading my rant. So i hope you at least, skim through all of this. It's a nice happy medium. Why am i still talking?**

**Thank you to all that reviewed. It makes me smile and i like smiling. **

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Sasuke sighed, and leaned his weight against the wall. By doing so, it make room for the person to enter the house and they quickly took it, walking straight to the kitchen, leaving several bags sitting by the door. Sasuke rolled his eyes, listening as her heels, that she didn't bother to take off, clicked against the kitchen floor.

He glanced down that the bags discarded on the ground and considered bringing them in but decided not to. He followed her into the kitchen, only to find her reaching for a glass from the cupboard, her short skirt raising even high until he could see what he didn't want to see.

"Akina, what are you doing here?"

Akina glanced over her shoulder, still reaching, and smirked. Suddenly she was too short to reach the glass, struggling to reach. She glanced over her shoulder again, a helpless look in her eyes. "Come and help, Sasuke darling." she demanded innocently.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but went either way. He stood a careful distance from her, grabbing the glass quickly and shoving it in her hands, earning a pout.

"What are you doing here?" he asked again, an edge to his voice now that he was getting rather impatient.

She pouted, in the usually Akina behavior. Sasuke ignored this and glared at her, crossing his arms over his chest in a stubborn manner. She eyed him and sighed, not liking that he was so impatient.

"Why is it that you always are just so straight to the point? It's rather annoying. I'm the kind of person that likes to have small talk before you get right down to it -unless we are talking about sex because why take the time to get acquainted with your partner if you are only going to forget their name in the morning." she said before she seemed to remember something. She suddenly had a mischievous look in her eyes as she slowly inched closer to him. "Oh, but you probably wouldn't know what I'm talking about, do you? You know, I have always dreamt about being your first. I'll take it slow if you would like." she said while wrapped her arms around his chest, pushing her body against his.

Sasuke just glared at her, and then quickly detangled her from him and stepped away. "Akina, focus. What are you doing here?"

Ino cautiously stepped into the kitchen at this moment. She and Sakura had been upstairs in Seto's room. Seto laid in bed still peacefully sleeping while a sleeping Mikoto was held in Sakura's arms. They had silently listened, watching everything with alert eyes, until they heard muffled voices from down stairs. Silently, they decided that Ino should go and investigate, seeing as Sakura could take care of both kids and that Sasuke hadn't come up to tell them anything.

Ino now entered the kitchen, being greeted with the sight of an annoyed and impatient Sasuke and some strange woman that she had never seen before. But after closer examination, nothing her appearance (the word 'slut' immediately coming to mind), she became extremely confused. Especially given that Sasuke seemed to know her pretty well.

But before she could say a thing, the woman spoke first. "Sas-cakes, is this your new girlfriend? She's really pretty- not that the other one wasn't, or anything. It's just the other one was kind of funny looking with her strange hair. Plus, she was obviously not in here for your love. She was probably only with you for money or something. I mean, she obviously wanted something, the way she stole my baby from me. Who the fu-" she ranted, being interrupted by Sasuke.

"Akina, shut your mouth before I kick you out." He spat out in a dangerous tone.

Akina looked at him. "Sorry, are you still touchy about the break-up. I just figured that you had moved on since you have another girlfriend." She said, opening her mouth to say more but Sasuke wouldn't let her get it out.

"Akina, shut it."

She glared at him, in a playful manner before sticking her tongue out at him. Sasuke took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Ino took this opportunity to speak up. She walked quickly to his side, catching the attention of Akina. Ino stood behind Sasuke slightly and stood on her toes, bringing her lips to his ear. "What is going on?" she whispered.

Sasuke turned his head to face Ino. "I don't exactly know, but I'll take care of it." He whispered back.

"Is there any danger?" she whispered, her ninja side still in control and she was unwilling to trust this strange Akina until she knew she was of no threat. Sasuke shook his head in response. Ino relaxed slightly, but was still wary. "Should I go back upstairs and tell Sakura that there is no threat?"

Sasuke nodded in return and Ino gave one quick nod before she retreated upstairs.

Akina watched the whole interaction, of course jumping to the wrong conclusions. She smiled and leaned against the counter, sticking out her bust now that Sasuke's attention was back on her. "So, how long have you two been together?" she asked in a low, innocent tone.

Sasuke took a deep breath. "We are not together." he stated

A smile spread across Akina's face. "Oh well that's good. I was afraid I was going to have to try and seduce an attached man." She stated, earning a glare from Sasuke.

But before she could do anything Ino reentered the kitchen, this time accompanied by Sakura. Sakura automatically drifted to Sasuke's side, though she was looking at Akina's relaxed form the entire time. Akina stifled her surprise by seeing Sakura by muttering a 'oh, it's you again' in a sarcastic tone. Sakura did nothing in response but Sasuke glared harshly at Akina, and wrapped an arm around Sakura's petite waist.

Ino leaned against the table, across the room and just watched, choosing to try and stay out of it the best she could.

Akina fell silent as she studied Sakura, head from toe, with a cold expression on her face. Sakura just let her do so rather calmly, kind of confused. Sasuke glared at her. He knew that she didn't like Sakura from her comment she said before she left last time she was here and he didn't like the look she was giving her. He glanced at Sakura. She was just calmly staring back, slight confusion in her eyes because he never told her about what Akina had said.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, trying to get Akina to turn her attention elsewhere.

Akina looked at him and, suddenly not in the mood to mess around anymore, she finally answered him. "Well, I told you I was going to be back soon. I just had some stuff to do."

Sasuke tensed at her words and spoke with a cold edge to her voice. "So, are you saying that you are going to take the kids."

She smiled sheepishly in return. "Well, not exactly."

"I don't understand." Sakura spoke up for the first time.

Akina pointed a cold glance at her before she turned back to Sasuke, pretending Sakura didn't exist and never spoke. "I actually don't have a place to stay. So it would just be silly to take them just so they could live on the streets with me." She said in a certain tone that Sasuke had already grown accustomed with. It was the tone she used whenever she was hinting at something, instead of just bluntly stating it.

"So, you came here so you could crash for the night." He stated rather than asked.

She smiled. "For a month or so, actually. I want to spend time with my kids." She said in a sweet, innocent voice.

Sasuke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This woman was simply unbelievable. "You can't just come barging in and expect that we will just welcome you with open arms. We have a lot going on right now." he said, opening is mouth to continue but she interrupted him.

"Well, where do you expect me to go? I don't know anyone else in this damn village and I need a place to stay and I have no money. So what other option do I have?" She said in a serious tone. "Plus, we are like family, anyways." she added like an afterthought in a lighter tone with a quirky smile.

Silence followed as Sasuke tried to think of a way of out this mess that suddenly just popped up.

Sakura sighed, feeling exhausted- a symptom of the pregnancy, she has come to understand. "How about you just stay the night and then we can sort this all out in the morning." She suggested.

Akina glanced at Sakura for a split second before turning to Sasuke, waiting his answer. He was silent for a moment before sighing again for the umpteenth that night. "Fine."

Akina smiled victoriously before quickly jumping to Sasuke's side. Sasuke stiffened when she suddenly reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek. She then slowly withdrew, staring down Sakura at his sides as if challenging her. Sasuke didn't know exactly what Akina was thinking but he had a feeling that he wasn't going to like it.

Sakura just stared at her, her face carefully blank. She didn't know why Akina was acting this way toward her, and she definitely didn't like it, but she kept her calm. After her wild mood swings earlier, she just didn't have the energy to pull another.

Now she didn't feel any sort of anger when Akina pecked Sasuke on the cheek. She didn't really have a problem with it. It was late, and they were all tired and she just assumed that Akina was thanking him and thought that perhaps she was close to Sasuke in a family way. It was normal for family members to give each other pecks on the cheek every once and a while.

But when Akina stared at her, her eyes challenging Sakura to do something, Sakura felt something. Anger flared up slightly in her tired body, but she controlled herself. What Akina hoped to accomplish by doing that, she had no clue. But she wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of seeing that she made her angry. Instead, as Akina trailed her fingertips down Sasuke's chest all the while still staring at her, Sakura decided to play with her as well.

Sakura put her most sincere smile she could on her face and fixed her eyes on Akina's. "I'm so glad that you decided to come and visit. It's a pleasure." she said in an almost sickly sweet voice.

Akina froze at her words. She had wanted her to freak and get mad. But she was shocked to see that she just smiled, a oh-so-sweet-and-innocent smile, and welcomed her. Akina stood baffled for a moment before she noticed that Sakura's expression changed. Instead of the sweet and innocent face that was there moments ago, it was replaced by a challenging expression. And then Akina knew that this Sakura had saw through her and wasn't going to going to just sit back.

She was going to fight back.

Akina glared and sucked in a deep breath and raised her chin. She then stomped off, bumping into Sakura in the process and pushing her. The kitchen was engulfed in silence for a moment. Sasuke looked at Akina's retreating form and then Sakura's victorious smirk and he felt confusion wash over him. He was the first to break the silence. "What just happened?"

There was another beat of silence before Ino just broke out laughing, increasing Sasuke's confusion. Ino quickly rushed to Sakura's side and hugged her tightly, still laughing. "Yeah, you go girl! Show that bitch who's boss!" She exclaimed, causing Sakura to smile.

Sasuke just stared and after a moment raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know?"

Sakura and Ino exchanged a glance before shaking their heads. "It's a girl thing." they said in unison.

A confused look crossed Sasuke's face before they suddenly heard a shout. "SASUKE, COME HELP ME WITH Y BAGS." Akina demanded, causing Sasuke to sighed and roll his eyes but he complied anyways. He would feel bad if she had to carry all she bags herself. She's not strong at all, she could break something, including something in his house if she dropped something.

Sasuke carried all the bag, excluding the lightest one that Akina had grabbed, up to the guest room. As soon as Sasuke opened the door, Akina rushed in, throwing the bag she was carrying to the side and hit the bed, acting as if she was strained so much to carry the one bag up the stairs. Sasuke just stared at her questionable for a moment before gently putting her bags against the wall, even grabbing the one she threw and putting them with the rest.

He then turned and faced Akina, still sprawled out on the bed watching him as he decided to open the window, seeing as it was kind of stuffy. He crossed the room, picking up the room since the last person to use it was Naruto and he was always incapable of cleaning up after himself. Seriously, his apartment was a scary place. Akina watched Sasuke's every move, while he was perfectly aware of this fact, he tried to ignore it.

Once he was satisfied that he got the last of the Naruto mess cleaned he stood in the doorway and addressed her. "The bathroom is down the hall. You shouldn't have a problem with it because only Ino and Seto really use it. But if you really need to, there is a bathroom downstairs. The bathroom is fully stocked with everything you may need, as well. There are plenty of sheets and pillows in here and there is a fan in the closet if you get hot, but otherwise you should be fine in here. I'm across the hall in the master suite. Ino is down the hall as well."

"Why are you telling me where is random person is?" Akina asked, raising up and resting all her weight on her elbow and as smiled at Sasuke innocently.

"Because she is a ninja. You try anything funny and she will hear you." He warned but she didn't seem to focus on the threat.

"Do the kids share a room?" She asked, much to Sasuke's confusion.

"No."

She was silent for a moment, pondering something. "There are five rooms in this house. One for each of the kids, one for me, one for that Ino girl and one for you. Where does your girlfriend sleep?" she aid quietly.

"With me." Sasuke stated stiffly.

Akina eyed him. She was quiet for a long moment and Sasuke wondered if she would speak again. He waited, and after getting impatient, was about to walk out when she spoke again. "Are you two close?"

Silence greeted her, but she waited, not giving in. "Very." he finally answered.

She nodded absentmindedly, seeming to just forget that he was there as she was engulfed in her thoughts. Sasuke stood for a moment more before deciding to leave. He turned and took one step out before stopping and quickly walking back in. Silently closing the door behind him, he pressed his back to the door. She looked up at the sound of the door closing, expecting to be alone but was surprised to see him still there.

He didn't say anything, and just stared at the ground. She sat up, dangling her legs over the side of the bed. They must have sat there for a good five minutes before she had enough and got up, slowly strutting over to him. He stood perfectly still, staring at the ground, even as she gently trailed her hands down his arms. When she saw he wasn't pushing her away, she leaned into him, still not receiving any indication that he didn't want her to. She took this as a sign to continue.

"What's on your mind, darling" she whispered seductively, brushing her lips against the shell of his ear.

It was then when he finally moved. He grabbed her arms, and pushed her back slightly so that he could took in her eyes. She stared back, hoping that he will finally just give in. They stood like this, Sasuke staring at her with a very serious, yet slightly blank face. She felt her hopes raising.

"I don't know. . ." he started, but trailed off and she felt that he would finally give in and give what she wants. She almost smiled, becoming happy and excited as she had wanted this for sometime, but didn't, as to not ruin the moment. She waited for him to finish, giving him a look to continue, as she was almost bursting inside.

"I don't know what you are planning. But don't you dare hurt Sakura or the kids." He finally stated, deadly serious.

Akina froze. All her happiness and excitement crashed down and she couldn't help the frown that formed on her face. She backed away from Sasuke, standing a good four feet away now.

Sasuke crossed his arms over his bare chest, staring at her frowning face. "I think it would be best if you don't tell Seto or Mikoto who you are." He stated.

She was silent for a moment, dropping her gaze to the ground. "Who the fuck is Mikoto?" She muttered after a moment.

"Your daughter. I named her Mikoto." Sasuke stated evenly.

Akina glared at the ground, angry suddenly. "Mikoto is a stupid name." She muttered angrily.

Sasuke glared at her. "Mikoto was my mother's name." He stated with a harsh edge to his voice. She glanced up at him, her eyes meeting his glare. "And it's a hell of a lot better than 'kid'." he spat.

She winced at his tone, but didn't attempt to apologize. The two were engulfed in silence as they both looked at the ground, one glaring angrily while the other just stared so they wouldn't have to look at the other.

"You must be tired. Go to sleep. We will talk this all out in the morning." Sasuke finally said, trying to kept his anger out of his voice, it coming out kind of cold. And with that said, she silently slipped out the door, closing it behind him.

When she heard the door click close, she looked up and stared. She heard quiet footfalls walk down the hall before she couldn't hear them anymore. She just stood in quietly in her room, staring at the ground not knowing how to feel.

She stood there for unknown amount of time until she heard the footsteps again. They came back towards her from down the hall. She stared at the door. And then she heard a door open.

"Did you check on the kids?" she heard a girl say, it coming out muffled by the door but she assumed it was Sakura.

"Yeah they are fine." Another voice, Sasuke she identified, said.

"Good. Come, lets go to bed." Sakura said, and she heard Sasuke grunt in agreement. Shortly after, she heard a door close and then there was nothing.

She stood there for a moment more before she slowly walked over to her bags. Grabbing a pair of shorts and small tank top, she quickly changed and climbed into bed, leaving her discarded clothes on the ground. She laid there in the dark staring at the wall when she realized that she was alone while that Sakura girl was in bed with Sasuke.

She angrily flipped over to lay on her other side. She laid there for a long while before she drifted into a light sleep, still angry.

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**So? What's up? How's life? Do you feel happy? Disappointed? Excited about the next chapter? Cause i'm feeling nervous. I always get nervous after i put up a chapter. Maybe i should just relax. If it sucks, oh well. Right? This id the part where i ask you to review and you hopefully do so. Because i love hearing from you all. So, yeah. . .**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey! Look! Quick Update! Yah! lol. So what do i have to say. Wel obviously this is the 26th chapter of my first story. Amazing, right? I still can't believe it myself.**

**Well, a lot of you have been saying that i need a beta. Well, i must admit that i do make alot of grammar and spelling errors. I had someone review and say that there was spell check for a reason. Yes, i know what spell check is and how is works and yes, i use it. The problem is that when i type, i type rather fast and i mess up. Spell check catches most of it but sometimes i will be typing and i'll accidently put 'fro' instead of 'for'. Now, fro is a word so spell check doesn't catch it. That is where a lot of my errors occur. And when i go back and read it, my mind already knows what it should say so i read it that way, unless it is a really noticable error. I'm sorry, but it is just human error. Don't like it, bite me, cause i try. Now, i have no clue how the whole beta thing works. I know it is a good idea to have someone look over your work but i'm just so used to it just being my thing that i never bothered with a beta. Yes, i know, stupid, but again, bite me. I'm a pessimist at heart so i always worry about other people so i just do things myself. I'm stubborn. But, i'll look into it for the sake of the story.**

**I'm sorry. I'm in a funky mood.** **I had a bad night and it's dragging into my day now. So, don't bite me. Cause that would hurt and there are alot of you and i don't want to die. I'm a fan of living. I think it would be good that i continue to live, cause i don't think it would be fun to day. And if you guys like kill me, who would finish the story? How would you ever know what Akina is going to do? Or, if Sasuke and Neji are going to team up for the police department? Or Sasuke and Sakura's baby? Or if Itachi is going to come back? Or how the next parent dinner will go? Or if the villagers will freak over the news of Sakura being preggers? The world may never know. . . [insert dramatic music hear]**

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Sakura had been quickly swept back into a peaceful sleep not long after laying back down. But it wasn't long before her mind registered the fact that she was awoken soon after. She remembered waking up just slightly, to the point where she could understand it was five in the morning and that something had woke her up. But instead of fully waking up, her mind only begged for more sleep and to ignore whatever woke her up.

She awoke again almost an hour later. She groggily glanced to her side to see that she was alone in bed. That was enough to wake her up, now.

She quickly sat up in bed, her eyes darting around the room. She remembered the events of the pervious night and she worried that Akina would try something. Although she didn't know what she would do yet, she had a feeling that she should watch her closely. She seemed to not like her for some reason and seemed like the kind of person to try to hurt- in some way, shape or form- the people she doesn't like.

Sakura jumped up, not bothering to grab her robe and rushed out of the room. A quick survey of the hall and she noticed that Ino wasn't up yet, as she always leaves her door open when she wakes up in the morning. She quickly went to the stairs, not bother to check the rest of the hall, when she heard some noises from down stairs.

The noises led her to the kitchen, where she peeked in and saw Sasuke and Seto by the stove, Sasuke standing there while Seto stood on a chair next to him. She glanced around the rest of the room, noting how no one else was there, before she walked in as well. The thing that woke her up this morning, she pieced together seeing how they were the only ones up, must have been Seto. She felt bad, now. She knew how Sasuke had trouble sleeping, and with the late visitor last night, and then Seto in the morning, she couldn't help but wonder how much sleep he actually got.

Sasuke noticed her presence right away, hearing her bare feet pat against the kitchen floor, and glanced over his shoulder with a small smile. At seeing this, Sakura slowly made her way over to her two men and kissed Sasuke good morning and then kissed Seto on the head. Seto jumped at first, not knowing anyone was awake yet, but after realizing who it was, smiled.

"Good Morning, Mommy!" He exclaimed as he turned, and threw his arms around her.

As soon as his little hand made contact with her back she shivered, but she ignored it otherwise. It was only when Seto pulled back and Sakura, by chance, glanced at his hand did she realized why she shivered. Seto was helping Sasuke make pancakes and had somehow managed to get the mix all over his little hand. The same hand that touched her back.

She sighed and tried in vain to look over her shoulder to see if he got anything on her. Giving up quickly she turned her back to Sasuke and glanced over her shoulder to look at him. "Hey, babe, do I have anything on my back?"

Sasuke glanced at her, in her small tank top with a glob of pancake mix on the exposed skin of her back, and smiled. "Yeah."

"Can you get it?" she asked even though Sasuke was already grabbing a washcloth.

He gently dabbed the washcloth against her back. She shivered a little, the washcloth being cold. Sasuke noticed this and once she was clean, wrapped his arms around her. She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder and listened as he whispered sweet nothings into her ear. She giggled, gently swaying their bodies as Sasuke decided to nibble on her ear.

And that's what Ino and Akina saw when they walked into the kitchen. Ino, who had been awake for a while but just waiting for Akina to wake up because she was still wary about her and didn't want to leave her alone upstairs, just ignored the two. But Akina took one look and the two and just froze, shock marring her face.

She has grown to know the Uchiha boys as only one way- cold, distant, slightly hostile, impatient, but acutely caring, though never showing it. But seeing Sasuke like this- when he was always so cold and impatient, not bothering to disguise his dislike for her-, his arms wrapped around someone, being playfully and loving. It was shocking to say the least.

And yet, she felt hurt. She wanted him to be like that with her. She wanted to feel his arms around her and feel the comfort that went with that. She wanted to hear him whisper things huskily into her ear. She wanted him to nibble on her ear, and be the one to giggle in response. Hell, she wanted Itachi to do those things but he never did. It was always just about sex, and maybe the tiniest bit of some other emotions.

And now, as she looks at the scene in front of her, she is filled with disgust. Because it wasn't her being loved.

Sasuke and Sakura noticed the two additions to the room at the same time. Sakura blushed, as Ino rolled her eyes while Sasuke just smirked, slightly embarrassed himself. But instead of letting her go right away, he held on for a minute or two more, before gently kissing her cheek and returning to the stove.

Sakura smiled and went to the cupboard, grabbing hers, and Ino's mug before stopping and glancing over her shoulder. "Akina, would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Sasuke can get it. Only he knows how I like mine." She answered in a cold tone.

The teens stopped and turned, staring at Akina with blank faces. Akina just smirked and then turned to Sasuke, waiting for her coffee. Ino and Sakura glanced at each other, each expression an 'are you kidding me' look on their faces.

"Um, Sakura can do it as well as Sasuke if you tell her how." Ino stated.

Akina just glanced at Ino before looking back at Sasuke. "I want Sasuke to do it though. Everyone always messes it up except him." She said, not giving in.

Sakura and Ino exchanged one more look before they both turned to Sasuke who was still staring at Akina with a blank face. He continued to stare until he felt their eyes on him and then he fixed his attention on them. They stared, waiting for with reaction and after considering it for a second just shrugged and then gestured for Ino to take over the stove.

She reluctantly complied, as Sasuke quickly grabbed a mug from Sakura and fixed it without a word. Once he was down, he shoved it into her awaiting hands. She smiled triumphantly and held it under her nose to take in the smell. Sasuke returned to the stove, while Ino returned to the table where Akina was and Sakura leaned against the counter, her own mug in hand except hers filled with orange juice. (Though she was not happy to give up coffee, and while they are still studies out there that say moderate coffee during pregnancy is okay, she decided not to risk it and just give up coffee for now.)

Akina slowly took a sip and smiled brightly. "Mm! Sasuke you always make it the best! You know just how I like it." she stated innocently.

Sasuke was quiet for a beat, then spoke, his back to everyone while he focused on the food. "Well, you take it just like Sakura-a little creamer and too much sugar. Have Sakura do it next time." He said like it was no big deal but everyone could tell he was just telling Akina to not try that again.

She frowned at his words and glanced at Sakura, who was smirking as she stared into her cup, and huffed angrily and turned her head away. It was then that she noticed Ino, who was giving her a 'Ha, Bitch!' kind of look. Akina glared in response and Ino just smiled at her before turning her attention to Sakura, starting a random conversation.

Sasuke quickly finished the food, and with the help of Seto and Sakura, brought it to the table. Sakura helped Seto into his chair quickly and then passed out the plates while Sasuke went and grabbed the juice jug from the fridge as well as the coffee pot, setting them on the table. Sakura grabbed a seat, while Sasuke still fussed around with everything for a moment more, and everyone seated grabbed some pancakes.

But much to everyone's confusion, just as Sakura put two on her plate Sasuke suddenly took the whole plate away, carrying it to the counter and setting it down. "Hey, what are you doing?" Sakura asked, her fork still in her hands.

Sasuke didn't answer as he just walked away from the counter and went into a cupboard. Everyone watched as he grabbed something, though they couldn't see what, and took it over to her plate. He worked quietly, as Sakura and Ino questioned him, which he ignored. He then returned to the table and placed the plate down, putting syrup and powered sugar on it and then returned it to Sakura.

She stared at him for a moment before looking at her food, studying it. She was silent for a moment before she looked back up to him with a blank face. "Did you put peanut butter on my pancakes?" She asked.

He nodded and a smile broke out on her face, as she looked down at her food again. She quickly shoved a small piece into her mouth and chewed it. Once she swallowed, she smiled and grabbed the front of the hoodie Sasuke was wearing and pulled him toward her, capturing his lips. Akina glared at the scene while Ino just rolled her eyes.

When they pulled away, Sasuke smiled and kissed the top of her head, his hand landing on her cool bare shoulder. She smiled at him once more before grabbing another piece and surrendered it to her mouth, chewing happily. Sasuke smirked at her while he removed his hoodie and draped it over her shoulders, leaving him in a simple black beater.

Akina stared at him as he sat down and prepared his own food. And right before he could put a piece into his mouth, she spoke and he froze. "Did you lose weight?"

He stared down at his food, putting his fork down. "Yeah."

"You're a lot skinnier now. You were a nice weight before, though. Why did you lose all the weight?" she asked conversationally.

Sasuke continued to stare at his food. "I had a lot of stuff going on and I forgot to eat." He stated.

"What kind of stuff?" she asked, not seeming to notice how the rest of the table had grown quiet.

"Just stuff, Akina." Sasuke said, a slight edge to his voice as he didn't want to go into his 'episode'. It would mean he would have to talk about the truth about the Uchiha Clan, and he simply wasn't able to talk about it yet. Plus, he would have to mention Itachi and he didn't wasn't to deal with how she would react to that. She'd probably complain about missing him and wouldn't shut up.

"What? Are you having trouble taking care of two kids." she asked, and then stopped and turned to Seto, as if noticing for the first time that he was there. "Hey, little guys."

Seto stopped eating, pancake still hanging out of his mouth, and smiled, revealing his little teeth covered in his chewed food. Akina leaned away slightly at the sight.

"Seto, close your mouth and chew." Sakura instructed, and Seto nodded, quickly doing so.

"Hi! I'm Seto! Who are you?" he said, once he had swallowed his food.

"She's a friend of the family." Sasuke quickly said, noticing how a frown formed on Akina's face.

She stared at Sasuke for a long moment before looking back at Seto and weakly smiled. "I'm Akina."

xOx

Breakfast progressed rather uneventfully. Seto chatted rapidly, entertaining everyone mostly. There was a few times that glaring occurred after a comment, but nothing really important.

After breakfast the teens got Seto ready for daycare and when the time came, Ino left to drop him off. With Seto out of the house, the party moved into the living room for a serious talk. Sakura seated herself on the couch with Mikoto in her arms, Sasuke sitting next to her while Akina chose the armchair.

It was silent at first, as Akina just stared at Sakura and Mikoto. The little girl seemed to love to play with her hair, opting to play with that instead of the small stuff animal in her lap. She had grown greatly, Akina had noticed, now five months old. Grown quite beautifully as well, a female version of Itachi with some of Akina's finer qualities perfectly combined. She felt incredible pride, being able to birth such beautiful children.

But she found herself hating the pink-haired girl more and more. First, stealing Seto away from her and then getting her grubby hands on Sasuke as well. But this was simply too much. Akina would be blind if she didn't notice the gleam in both Mikoto's and her eyes. The look of love- the look shared between a mother and a daughter. The stupid girl had managed to steal another one of her kids away from her. She wondered if she was going to take the clothes off her back as well.

"Can we get this over with already?" Sasuke said, pulling Akina out of her thoughts so that she could focus on the present.

Akina nodded. Sasuke sighed, glancing at Sakura and Mikoto quickly, he began. "You want to stay for awhile." He stated and Akina nodded again in response.

"I want to spend time with you and my kids, with my family." she said, glancing quickly at Sakura as if to say that she wasn't included. "Plus, I have no other place to be at the moment and no place to stay."

Sasuke sighed, knowing how Akina worked. She would travel around, mooching off of what ever friend she happened to make in that area. She'd stay for a month or two, or until she got bored. She then will try to swindle some money from her hosts, getting enough to get her to the next place. She'd be completely broke by the time she got to the new place and would have to stay with a friend until she got back on her feet again, thus completing the circle.

Sakura understood this as well. And while she didn't particularly like Akina, but her morals wouldn't allow her to just kick her out. Also, a feeling in her gut told her that just giving her some money wouldn't make her go away. She had a feeling the only way out of this was to let her stay and hope that she got bored quickly.

Sakura leaned over to Sasuke and quietly, so that Akina wouldn't hear, expressed her opinion. Sasuke listened calmly, and while he didn't like it himself, he had the same idea. Akina wasn't just going to go away. He knew her too well to even hope for that.

After a deep sigh, Sasuke spoke. "Fine, you can stay fro awhile."

Akina smiled brightly and jumped up, going to give Sasuke a huge hug but he stuck his hand up. "But . . ." he trailed off.

"But?" She asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"But under conditions." He said, as Akina nodded, waiting for him to continue. "First, you will behave yourself. We have a lot of guests coming in and out of this house regularly. You will be civil. You will not try to seduce anyone. And you will mind your own damn business."

Akina rolled her eyes, but nodded anyways. "Fine."

Sasuke nodded once and then continued. "Second, you will not confuse the kids. You are staying in this house under the pretense that you are just a family friend. You will not be addressed as anything other than that. They already have a mother. They don't need you to come in here and say otherwise."

Akina narrowed her eyes. "Your kidding me, right?" she muttered.

"Why would I kid?" Sasuke asked calmly.

"They are my kids! I have a right as their mother to do what I want with them. You can't just tell me that I can't have them." she exclaimed angrily, standing in front of him.

"Yes, I can. You abandoned them. You came to me and gave me your kids. I have raised them in a safe environment, where they are loved and cared for. I became their father and as their father, and the one with custody over them, I have every right." Sasuke said fiercely, standing up as well.

"They are MY kids!" Akina protested.

"Not anymore!" Sasuke shouted.

Silence engulfed the room. Akina frowned, staring at Sasuke with an angry yet calm face. Sasuke just stared down at her, his face a blank mask. Mikoto began to fuss, now teething. Sasuke glanced at his two girls, Sakura trying to comfort her. After a few moments of nothing but Mikoto's fussing, Sakura stood up to take her into the kitchen.

The two watched her go and once she was out of the room, they glanced at each other once more. "So that's it, then? I'm no longer their mother?" Akina asked quietly.

Sasuke looked at her seriously. "Biologically, you will always be their mother. But, you can't really be their mother. You just don't what it takes at the moment. Your lifestyle won't allow it and you aren't willing to give up your way of life for your kids.

"It is good here. There is a nice community of people that love and care for them here. They are safe, they are loved, they have the opportunity to what they want in the future. They have a woman in their life that is willing to love and take care of them. They have me, their mother, and all their aunts and uncles. This is for their own good."

Akina as quiet for a moment before nodding. "Fine. Now that's all settled, I think I'm going to-" She started to say as she began to walk out but Sasuke grabbed her arm. She looked back at him in confusion.

"Thirdly, you have to be civil to Sakura. I'm sorry that you are upset about your kids, but do not blame her. She just came in and filled in a space that was missing from their lives. You may not like that, but you will be civil to her. I don't want her to get hurt just because you are holding some sort of grudge." He said, deadly serious.

She was silent, staring at his hand that still held her arm, she spoke, glancing up to met his eyes after a few words. "So, is that it? Is that your three conditions on my staying here or should I get comfy?" She snapped.

"That's it." Sasuke snapped back.

"Fine. I agree to all of your little terms. Now, if you will excuse me." She snapped, ripping her arm out of his grip and stomped out of the room, heading upstairs. He stood completely still in the living room, listening as he heard a door slam close a few moments later.

He sighed, running a hand threw his dark hair. He slowly turned and laid down on the couch. He had gotten little to no sleep last night, and then having to deal with everything made him extremely tired. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to take advantage of the momentary calm in the room. He let out a sigh and sunk deeper into the couch.

Footsteps a moment later made him open his eyes, seeing Sakura walk in with Mikoto in her arms, chewing on a teething ring. He just watched as she made her way over to him. But a few feet away from him, she stopped. Sasuke sat up with she saw her pale and the next moment Mikoto was passed over to him and she was running to the bathroom.

Sasuke sighed, and got up and walked over to the baby swing. After making sure his little girl was okay, he went to the bathroom, quietly knocking. He got no answer in response, but he heard another wave of the sickening spattering hitting the toilet water. He grimaced and then slowly turned the doorknob and walked in.

She was bent over the toilet, she hair hanging down around her face. He crept forward so that he was standing beside her. She stared down at the toilet rim, reaching up to grip Sasuke's hand. He squeezed her hand, hating that she was suffering. She rubbed his hand with her thumb, never looking away from the rim.

They sat like this for an unknown amount of time but before they knew it, Ino was standing in the doorway, staring at them questionably. "Are we having a party in the bathroom?''

A moment later, Sakura heaved and Sasuke quickly grabbed her hair. "Whoa! I would stay and try to help but if she throws up, I'm going to throw up. So I'm just going to go watch Mikoto." Ino said quickly before rushing off. Sasuke smirked, making a mental note on how to make Ino go away.

Sakura flushed the toilet, and got up and washed her mouth out. She spit out the mouthwash and looked into the mirror and saw Sasuke's smirking face. She narrowed her eyes. "Don't even think about it." She said, knowing he was thinking of Ino and the vomit. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder. Sakura kept her eyes narrowed for a moment more before she glanced in the mirror, seeing the reflection of them and smiled.

It was a nice picture, she thought.

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**well, 26 chapters down. x amount to go. Tell me what you think, cause your opinion means alot.**

**oh by the way, peanut butter on pancakes it good. Just pancakes, spread peanut buter on them and then cut them. Add some syrup and powdered sugar and enjoy.**


	25. Chapter 25

**So, i'm back with the next chapter. Yes you can all rejoice. Lol. J/k. So i'm like really hungry. i've been up for hours and i haven't eaten anything yet. So after i post this chapter i think i'm not to go and get something to eat. Cause my stomach his going grrrr and i'm like 'stop yelling at me' and then my sister looks at me funny cause she doesn't know i'm talking to my stomach and probably thinks i'm insane or something. But whatever. Maybe i am.**

**So a few things i would like to talk about. ****Think I'll start with the random stuff and then go onto the special mentions. Otay, first off, i would like to say that you guys should check out my profile. I often just go through and update it and it gives you an idea of where i am at. I often have polls up on something and i often write about something wher ei deeply need you opinion. Like, i'm thinking of dropping two stories. Don't worry, this one is completely safe. But i need you opinion as to which ones. I have already give one up and given it to someone else (but you will get father info in a later time) and i need your help with other other one. So, just check out my profile every once and awhile.**

**Second, speaking of my profile. Please do not steal anything from it. I have put a lot of trust into you guys by putting up a special section for stories that i have been throwing around in my head. Please do not steal it. I wouldn't have even mentioned this, for i usually just trust you all not to for it is common sense, but i had an incident recently where i'm just kind of shaky on everything. You may ask what this incident was? Well i noticed that one of my reviewers, who i will not name, had went through my profile and copied all of my copy and paste things. Now, that didn't bug me, because that's what they are there for, but i also noticed that said reviewer went through my actual about me section and copied bits into their profile. I understand that profiles are all public, but i never thought someone would take my words and use it as their own in their profile. It bugs me to say the least. So please reviewer, i hope you know who you are, take it down. Tradionally you are only supposed to copy the extra stuff and says 'copy and paste'. Please take it down, or i might just have to call you out on it and i really dont want to do that.**

**otay, moving on. I had some one say that the little mistakes bug them. Sorry, it is human error and i take all responsiblity. I also had someone say they disappointed to hear that i will not be getting a beta. If you go back and read my last authors note, i said that i would look into it for the sake of the story. I don't want to disappoint you by being stubborn. Sorry.**

**So i think that's it for the random stuff so i will move on to the honorable mentions. First like to mention my friend **XxXMiss'TeaseXxX **cause she makes me smile really big! So shout out to you my darling tinky-z. Next i will mention **2plus2is4** because not only is their user name fucking awesome, their review made me smile. Well, i'm sorry that i captured your attention in my Sunshine drama and then just stopped mentioning him to you. It's summer vacation now so i don't see him anymore, since he pretty much as been ignoring me since he got his new girlfriend. And while it still bugs me, i just perfer not to think about it. Which is the reason i have stopped mentioning him. But, nothing has gotten better on that front except that i dont like him nearly as much. He doesn't deserve my affection. I didn't quite tell you all the whole story, and i don't think i will cause i really don't want to get into it and if i did, you would be sitting here for awhile. But trust me, and i'm pretty sure **XxXMiss'TeaseXxX** could support me because she knows the whole story, when i say that he doesn't deserve everything i have done for him. He's just been a jerk. Now, into the story part of your review. the reason the beginning seems rushed is because this is my first story and i believe i have matured slightly during this time, and my writing style shows this. When i finish this story, i plan on going back and rewriting the first few chapters. Moving on, next we have an anonymous reviewer that went by the name of **a french canadian fan. **I would like to thank you for your praise and i am glad that was able to pull you into the Sakura fan world even the slightest. Yes, i did add Itachi into the story as a good guy because even when the manga wasnt very far along, i always believed he was good. So that's just my opinion getting in the way of my writing. Lol. Oh, and yes, in chapter 24, my numbering was off. I did skip 4 but i was hoping no one would notice. I was hoping they would get on a roll and just forget about it. Wishful thinking on my part.**

**Well thank you to all that reviewed. This chapter is in first place for most reviews so far by one review. So Thank you all.**

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Akina sighed, sitting on the couch with Sasuke sitting on the other end, silently lapsing into sleep. She looked around the room, completely bored. Sakura was at the hospital for work, Seto was at daycare, Sasuke was falling asleep and failing to entertain her while that Ino girl had taken Mikoto out with her for shopping.

It was May now, three weeks since Akina had arrived in Konoha. It had been rather uneventful three weeks for all of them. True to her word, Akina had been behaving herself. She hadn't spend much time with the kids at all, so she had no trouble with confusing them. Like Sasuke had said, there had been many people coming in and out of the house but Akina behaved herself for the most part.

Akina usually spent her time by herself or with Sasuke. But when Sasuke wasn't available and she was in the mood for company, she went and hung out with Sakura, who was usually accompanied by Ino and sometimes Hinata. She was mostly quiet during these times, joining in every once and awhile. But other then being quiet, she wasn't that bad to have around.

Sakura seemed to be wary of her at first, but as the days past, she was able to relax around her. She also didn't seem to stress about Akina spending most of her time with Sasuke. Although, even if she had been stressing about it, Akina wouldn't have stopped hanging out with Sasuke. Sasuke was the only person that Akina really knew and liked in this village and she will be damned if she let a jealous girlfriend get in her way. Plus, the more time she spent with Sasuke, the more he will relax and she might be able to work her charm on him.

Akina looked at Sasuke at the other end of the couch. He was leaning, resting his chin in his hand and propping his head up. His eyes would close and then flutter open in an effort to stay awake, only to slowly close again. Akina found the sight rather comically and watched for a good twenty minutes before getting bored. Sasuke currently had his eyes close and she decided to help him stay awake.

She pulled her legs out of the cross-legged position she was sitting in and stretched her legs out, causing her feet to rest in Sasuke's lap. As soon as she made contact with him, his eyes snapped open and his hands snatched her feet in a tight grip, crushing her toes in his hand. She let out a whimper and he whipped his head around to face her, greeting the sheepish grin she forced onto her face through the pain.

Once realizing that it was just Akina that had awoken him and not any danger of any sort, he released his death grip on her feet. "Sorry. You startled me." he said.

"Oh, no prob. I understand." She said in return and she stretched out her toes, wiggling them around to try to get the blood flowing in them again. Her feet still rested in his lap and he stared down at them, watching them wiggle, but he made no move to push them away. She smirked at this fact.

Sasuke noticed a bruise already forming on her foot and gently poked it, glancing at her to see if it hurt her. She showed no pain so he gently lifted her foot up slightly. She watched him curiously as he gently started to rub her feet, giving her a massage. She smiled, loving the feeling and sunk down deeper in the couch, pushing her feet toward him more in the process.

"Oh, that feels nice." She said.

He smirked slightly and then froze. She looked at him questionable as he turned his attention to the clock. He stared at it for all of two seconds before he jumped up, pushing her feet off his lap and startling her in the process. "Damn it. That was supposed to be a five minute break!" he cursed, running into the kitchen.

Akina sighed and rolled her eyes. She noticed that in the three weeks that she has been living there that Sasuke was always busy. He was always running around doing something. She's watched him train, cook, clean, go grocery shopping, play with Seto and Mikoto, deal with his blonde friend Naruto and his crazy antics, etc. He was always running around the house doing things for the kids, like doing the laundry and making sure that Seto has a variety of clean clothes to choose from even though he already had plenty, always checking to see that Seto's backpack is stocked with needed things, always making sure that Mikoto was comfortable as she can be for the whole teething process. It looked exhausting.

Not to mention, the growing need to be at Sakura's every beck and call. Its like with every day that passes, he begins to hover more and more. Like when she starts cooking, he will coming in and gently push her away, completely taking over in such a way that she doesn't even notice that he just kicked her out of the kitchen. Or when she reaches for a book or something in a high shelf, he just appears out of nowhere before she can get a chair. She drops something, he picks it up. She's carrying something and he takes it and carries it for her. He acts as if she was incapable of doing it herself.

And it bothered Akina. She sees all the things that he is constantly doing and how much of a toll it is taking on him. She sees the dark bruises underneath his eyes from lack of sleep and how much energy he uses everyday with everything he does. And yet, he pushes himself to do things for Sakura that she could do herself. He spoils her and she doesn't even seem to notice. She doesn't seem to notice how much he does and how tired he is.

"Well that was the longest five minutes in my life. It felt just like a half hour to me, how strange." Akina shouted to Sasuke, mocking him slightly.

"Shut up! Why didn't you wake me up?" he shouted back as he walked back into the living room to glare at her.

"Well if you recall, I did wake you up and you crushed my toes." She said very off-handedly.

Sasuke's glare deepened. "Why didn't you wake me up on time?"

Akina shrugged her shoulders. "You never told me to wake you up. Plus, you need to take a break. Your running yourself ragged." she said, but Sasuke ignored the comment, going back into the kitchen muttering something about cleaning. Akina glanced around, not understanding why you would clean something that was already clean.

It wasn't five minutes later that there was a knock on the door and Sasuke was rushing to it. Akina stayed in her sitting position and listened, hearing Sasuke greet a male by the name of Neji. They chatted idly at the door for a moment, the weather being mentioned, before Sasuke suggested they moved to the kitchen.

Akina smirked, jumping up and leaned over the side of the couch to catch a view of this Neji person, hoping he was cute. Sasuke led them, his back to her the entire time while this Neji had glanced at her questionably as he passed. She realized after a moment that it must have looked weird to him. She was wearing a small gray tank top and a light blue pair of booty shorts, and was leaning awkwardly over the side of the couch staring at him.

She sat back down, slightly embarrassed when she heard Neji ask about her.

"Um, who was the strange woman leaning off the side of the couch staring at us?" he asked.

Sasuke grunted something along the lines of 'it's a long story. Don't worry about her.'

She sat on the couch for a half hour after that, listening to their quiet muttering. She couldn't make out what they were talking about and it was really starting to bug her. Quickly making up her mind, she pulled on the blue and gray knee-high socks she had discarded awhile ago but completed her outfit, and got up.

When she walked into the kitchen the two males where seated at the table with papers sprawled out between them. They were focusing rather intently on them, completely ignoring her presence. She innocently grabbed a glass of water, making as much noise as possible in order to draw their attention, but failed as they continued to ignore her.

She wandered over, standing behind Sasuke's chair and sipped her water. But they continued to ignore her as the very handsome Neji searched through the papers for something while Sasuke was looking over another paper. She stepped up and draped herself over Sasuke's shoulder, wrapping her arms around him. "What's that your looking at, darling?" She asked, capturing the attention of both the males.

Sasuke froze, his entire body tense while Neji froze as well, his one hand holding a collection of papers while his other was frozen in midair. Akina ignored this and pulled at the shorter hairs at the base of Sasuke's neck, playing with them. When she got no responds from the two frozen males, she decided to push her luck. Bringing her lips up to gently brush against Sasuke's neck, she felt him shiver slightly at her touch. She trailed her lips up, barely touching his skin, until she reached his ear, where she playfully nipped at it. But this seemed to be enough.

Sasuke jumped up, springing over the entire kitchen table and landing gracefully on the other side. He glared at her. "Damn it, Akina! What the fuck is wrong with you!?"

Akina pouted at his crude language. "Language, Sasuke. What would your mother think of you using such words?"

Sasuke's whole aura darkened. In one moment he was on the other side of the table, the next he was directly in front of her, in her face. "Don't ever mention my mother." he snarled.

Akina backed up, knowing she pushed it to far and hit a sensitive subject. Itachi was the same way, for some reason. "Damn, you Uchiha boys are way too sensitive about that subject." she muttered to herself, though she doubted that both of them didn't hear.

Neji must have sensed Sasuke's frustration with her, because he choose this moment to stand up. Quickly he reached over and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, keeping him in line. Sasuke took a deep breath and backed away, going back to his seat. "Akina, go away. We are trying to work." He instructed with his back to her.

"On what?" She inquired, stepping behind him again so that she could look over his shoulder. She eyed a paper on the table in front of them, noticing the words "Uchiha-Hyuga Police Department" occurred a lot in it. After, closer examination, most of the papers that them on it too.

"Akina, go away." Sasuke grunted as she pouted, going over to the counter to sulk. Neji took one look at her before he continued his earlier search, while Sasuke just chose to ignore her all together, getting back to work.

A half hour later, all them in the same position, they heard the door open, and loud angry ranting and they all turned to the kitchen door expectantly. Sakura and Ino walked through the door a few moments later, Ino lagging behind as she intently listened to her friend while Sakura angrily marched into the kitchen.

Sasuke got up to greet her, but she marched right passed him, going straight for her peanut butter. She angrily shoved a mouthful into her mouth. Sasuke studied her for a moment and went to her side. "What's wrong?" He asked, pushing some hair out of her face.

She scowled. "Men! I hate them all!" she shouted angrily and slammed the peanut butter jar down. "I need to take a shower to get this horrible day off of me!" she added and the stormed out of the kitchen, completely ignoring everyone.

Sasuke stood completely baffled for a moment before he turned to Ino, silently asking what was going on. Ino shrugged. "Don't worry about it. She's just tired from her long day and kind of hormonal, if you hadn't noticed." She said, pulling an apple out of the fridge and biting into it.

"But why does she hate men all of a sudden?" Sasuke asked.

Ino snorted, chewing and quickly swallowing. "Oh, she doesn't hate men." she said. _You don't end up pregnant at eighteen being indifferent to men._ She added in her head, laughing slightly. "She's just upset because her last patient of the day was a horny old man. And with her huge boobs of hers, she quite something for an old man to lust after. Especially when he obviously isn't getting any." she said, explaining Sakura's behavior.

Sasuke nodded, understanding her actions now and went to sit back down. Akina looked at him strangely. "Your kidding me, right?" She asked in disbelief.

Everyone turned their attention to her but she kept her focus on Sasuke. "Your just going to nod, understanding the way she just like yelled in your face and pushed you away?" she asked.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He suddenly was overwhelmed with the feeling that something bad was going to happen soon. Very soon. "Akina." He warned.

"No! It's not right! You are nothing but nice to her, even when you don't have to be. (-"Hey!" Sasuke shouted in return to her comment but she ignored him, not even stopping her spew.) You run yourself ragged all day, doing things for your family and keeping this house up and running. You barely have time for yourself, so you just completely ignore your own needs, like sleep for example. And then you slave after her as well, doing things for her that she is completely capable of doing herself, and she doesn't even notice." She shouted, jumping down from her seated position on the counter.

"Shut it, Akina. You don't know what you are talking about." Sasuke warned.

"But I do know! I see so many things in this house! You are on the brink of killing yourself and she doesn't even notice. She doesn't appreciate you! Just now was a prime example!" she shouted, stepping forward.

"Akina, what are you talking about? Shut up. You don't know a thing about what is going on." Sasuke said, getting frustrated with her, also standing up.

"She came home, obviously upset. You got up to greet her and she walked right passed you! And then when you go over to her and ask her what's wrong, like a good boyfriend, and she pushed you away! She storms out of the room yelling something about hating men! And what do you do? You nod and then just accept her behavior!"

"Akina, shut up!" Sasuke shouted back.

"If I was your girlfriend, I would never do that! I would appreciate every thing tha-" She started, but was interrupted when Sasuke grabbed her roughly by the arm.

"Is that what this is about!? Are you still upset that I'm dating someone and won't be your play thing!?"

"What!? No! I was just saying that if-" she started again but Sasuke roughly shook her, shutting her up.

"No if. There will never be anything between us, Akina! I'm with Sakura and you, last time I checked, were with my brother! Would you stop being such a slut and trying to get with me! It's not going to happen!" Sasuke shouted angrily.

Akina felt tears well up in her eyes. And with one blink of the eye, they were overflowing, running down her face. "Why!? Why are you with her and not with me!? I'm so much better than her! Why don't you care for me!?" she shouted desparately.

Sasuke looked at her for a moment before he sighed, letting her go and stepping away. But Akina just stepped forward, trying to look him in the eyes. "Why, Sasuke!? Explain to me why you can't be with me and yet you can be with her!"

Sasuke turned his head away, suddenly very afraid of hurting her. He may not like her in the way that she likes him, but he had come to care for her. In the past three weeks, he came to realize that she wasn't so bad a person when she wasn't being annoying. She could have been a good friend to him but he feared that if he was to hurt her, it would all go down the drain.

Akina reached up and grabbed his face, forcing him to look at her. "Sasuke! Please just tell me!"

Sasuke looked at her, both of them drawing to a tense silence. "I'm not going to sit here and justify why I love her. You may never truly understand it, but it's true and it's not going to change." he said and then reached up and pulled her hands way from his face, holding her small hands in his large ones. "Please, just stop. You are hurting no one but yourself by trying to get me to love you back." He said in a very calm manner.

She sniffed and stared down at the ground. Everything was still for a long moment before Akina pulled one of her hands out of Sasuke's grip and wiped her face. "I think I'm going to go and wash my face." she said quietly and then quickly left, leaving two speechless audience members and one extremely exhausted Sasuke.

As Akina ran up the stairs, she bumped into someone. Looking up, Sakura stared at her with real concern on her face. "Akina, what's wrong?" she asked, wiping some stray tears off her face.

Akina quickly looked away and pushed past her. "Nothing." She said, and then ran to the bathroom, slamming it close and collapsing against it, sobbing.

Sakura stared at the door and then quietly went over, gently knocking. "Akina, are you okay? Do you want to talk?" She asked.

Akina growled. "GO AWAY! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed, hitting the door angrily causing Sakura to jump from the other side.

"Fine, but if you need to talk, I'm here, okay?" she said and then waited for a moment before making her leave.

Akina sobbed, listening to the footsteps as they walked away. "Lucky Bitch." she muttered as another sob broke free from her.

xOx

As soon as Akina walked out of the kitchen, Sasuke sighed and sat down where he stoos, him know sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor. He looked at both Ino and Neji, who had witnessed the whole thing and where now staring at him. The expression on their faces, they looked tense, awkward and just plain shocked, And while Ino openly showed her emotions, Sasuke could tell that Neji was even more shocked than Ino.

Ino was always in this house, partially living here, so she was often around for all the drama to unfold for her to see. She often witnessed many fights, whether they be between Sasuke and Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto, Sasuke and Mr. Haruno, Sakura and Mr. Haruno, Sasuke and Itachi, Sasuke and Akina, the list goes on. But Neji wasn't often at their household and this was the first fight that he witnessed, besides the one Sasuke and Sakura had at the restaurant. While the fight he witnessed before was tense, this one was just intense.

Sasuke closed his eyes and just fell backwards, his body hitting the floor with a thump. He laid there, just completely exhausted and desperately wishing he could take the whole fight back. Everything would just be easier if the fight never occurred. Sasuke snorted. When was his life ever easy?

Sakura walked into the kitchen, seeing Ino and Neji I a very shocked state and Sasuke laying on the ground with a bittersweet smirk on his face. Add this to her already confused mind about what was wrong with Akina and you get Sakura's current state. But at least she wasn't angry anymore. The shower had calmed her down immensely and now she was able to deal with this confusion very level-headedly.

"What's going on?'' she asked, glancing around the room for anyone to answer her question.

Sasuke chuckled, but in his tremendously tired state he had slipped in, he started to laugh uncontrollably. Everyone stared at him in confusion.

"Dude, I think he finally lost it." Ino said in a deadly serious voice before she glanced at Neji. He looked back at her in disbelief before looking back at Sasuke.

Sakura watched the two's interaction and then looking to Sasuke again. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?"

* * *

** I don't like the ending. But tell me what you think. Please. I'm not afraid to beg. And if i had any cooking skills in the least i would bribe you with cookies for something. So review. And while you do that, i think i'm going to go and beg my sister to make me food. Wish me luck!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Oh, I need to rant. So the first review I get after I just up the last chapter was an anonymous review. And boy did it make me laugh. The first thing they saw this that they read the entire story and they were less than satisfied. Okay, you all are entitled to your opinion and if you don't like something, tell me. If it is something small, I will spend the time to go back and fix in the chapter or rewrite something. Really I have no problem doing so. If you have a problem, talk to me and I might be able to fix it unless it majorly effects the story, then I might not be able to fix it. But this reviewer went as far as to say that I should stop writing ( I laughed at that part.) and then they started on a rant about Twilight and how I can't deny that I didn't get inspiration from it. Well, sure I'm a Twilight fan and I have read the entire series. But this story has nothing to do with Twilight. Do you see crazy vampires in love with klutzy teenage girls running around here? Cause if you did, please tell me, I would like to go back and meet them-like hell I'll pass up a chance to meet Edward. If I wrote something that sounded like Twilight in any way shape or form, sorry but that wasn't my intention. That's just how I write, sorry but that's just the way it goes. But I do agree with you, Sasuke is not a Goth vampire. In this story, I made him into a struggling teen parent who has fallen in love. No vampire in sight. And I'm sure you will rejoice at that fact, cause I know I do- whats a random vampire doing in this story? If I was to make Sasuke into a vampire, he wouldn't be gothic. Emo and emotionally constipated, maybe, but not gothic. Maybe I'll make him gothic in another story, but not as a gothic vampire. So please, **Honest Jimbo**, next time you review- and I hope you do because I would love to hear from you-don't do it anonymously. I would like to talk to you and see what you don't like about the story. Criticism is good because as we are all authors, and we need to know what we can work on to make our writing better. But what you did was flaming and flaming is bad. And the worst part was you didn't even have enough guts to leave your name. You just cowardly flamed and then ran, leaving me no way to contact you in hopes of bettering my writing. I wonder what people hope to accomplish by flaming? Do people hope that if they flame me that I will run away with my tail between my legs. Well sorry to disappoint you but that's not going to happen. While I may not be the most outspoken person, I am confident enough not to let a flame get to me. In fact, this flame in now saved in my inbox forever so I can go back and laugh when I am having a bad day. Thank you **Honest Jimbo** cause now I have something to cheer me up all the time. I'm going to be laughing for weeks.**

**I kind of already wrote a lot so i'm not going to say much more. Hey, have you noticed tha my author notes just keep getting bigger and bigger. Geez, i need to stop talking. Lol.**

**So thank you to all that reviewed. Some seem to be getting frustrated with Akina and frankly, so am i. So this has a SasuSaku moment in it cause quite frankly, i miss their interaction. I wrote this frist part of the chapter awhile ago but couldn't seem to find a way to fit it in the story. So I'm quiet happy i got it in. **

* * *

Sasuke glanced at the clock, it reading 10:17. After Sasuke had calmed down and his laughing fit subsided Sakura had moved him to the living room couch where he was quickly swept into some much needed sleep.

It was during the time Sasuke slept that Neji left and Ino took the time to explain to Sakura all of what had occurred. Sakura couldn't help but feel a tad bit hurt. For the past few weeks, she was under impression that Akina was finally coming around to her. She had thought that she had finally started to accept her as the woman that was taking good care of her children.

And she felt silly. When she had bumped into Akina on the stairs, she thought she could really help. But there she was, trying to comfort her and she was actually part of why she was upset. But she was an idiot and was oblivious to this tinny fact and was wasting her time trying to get through to her through the bathroom door. Sakura was a fool to think that they would be able to settle things without sitting down and really discussing things. Because obviously there was more between them than just a door.

Akina, during the time that Sasuke slept and Sakura and Ino talked, had been hiding. She had yet to immerge from her temporary haven of the bathroom. Causing a jealous rant from Ino about how much nicer the master bathroom was than the other one.

Sasuke sat up and turned on the lap next to him. Stretching, he realized he felt great. His body was in desperate need of some rest, but had just ignored this need and went about his usual routine. But now that he slept, he felt great. It was probably the most sleep he had all week. His only problem was it was ten at night and he was wide awake.

He felt the cushion shift beside him and he turned to see Sakura sitting there. He smirked, seeing the can of spray whip cream in her hand, her bad day cure. Whenever she had a rough day, she would pull out the whip cream and just indulge.

She wordlessly handed it to him and he smirked, taking it and squirting a small bit into his mouth. Without looking at her or discussing it, he lifted his arm just in time for her to cuddle into his chest, her head settled in the nook between his arm and chest. They were silent for a long moment, but bathing in each others warmth and the sudden peacefulness in the house. It had been awhile since they had been able to just relax and just lay in each others arms.

"Want a shot?" Sasuke asked. Sakura nodded wordlessly.

Sakura opened her mouth and Sasuke squirted a dab into her mouth. She closed her mouth and Sasuke gave himself a shot as well. They sat for awhile like this, eating whip cream and enjoying each other's company.

"Another?" Sasuke asked.

"Make it a double." She said, opening her mouth wider. Sasuke smirked and gave her a doubles worth. She closed her mouth, some over flowing slightly on her lips as she swallowed it all. Her little pink tongue darted out to capture what escaped her mouth. Sasuke watched, an idea forming in his head.

She swallowed it all and he wordlessly offered her another shot. She opened her mouth and Sasuke squirted it into her mouth. But instead of stopping it, he kept going until it overflowed from her mouth and quickly sprayed her. She screeched and Sasuke smirked. "Sorry. The nozzle is stuck. I can't stop it." he shouted with a smile on his face as he faked innocence.

But Sakura knew him well, and knew he was spraying her on purpose. So she quickly grabbed his arms and turned it, spraying him in the face. He pulled away, and Sakura took the opportunity to get up and run since he still had the whip cream in his hand. Sasuke watched as she got up and ran into the kitchen, giggling and covered in whip cream and quickly got up and followed.

He ran into the kitchen, clutching the whip cream in his hand but didn't see her. For a fleeting moment he thought she escaped through the backdoor but he sensed her presence just as he was about to step forward toward the door. He quickly turned just in time for her to spring out from against the wall and jump into his arms. He could have held them up easily, but just as she jumped Sasuke stepped into a glob of whip cream that fell from one of them and caused him to slip. They handed on the ground with a thump, though Sasuke made sure she was never jostled, taking the full impact on himself.

They were still for a long moment before Sakura leaned down and licked from whip cream off his face. Sasuke chuckled and kissed her forehead. She looked at him straight in the eyes, and then dipped her head down and gently kissed him. It was long and gentle but held so much emotion in it, leaving them both dazed when they pulled away.

They stared into each others eyes for an undetermined amount of time before Sasuke spoke. "Let's get cleaned up and go for a walk." She nodded wordlessly, liking the idea since they haven't spent much alone time with each other recently.

Sasuke quickly pulled himself into a standing position and swept her into his arms. Carrying her over to the counter, he set her down by the sink and wet down a washcloth. Dabbing gently on my exposed skin, he cleaned her of the mess that he had created. They were silent the entire time, Sakura stared at Sasuke's face while Sasuke stared at the area he was cleaning.

Wordlessly, he unbuttoned her shirt and pulled it from her body, leaving her in a thin tank top. Sakura sat perfectly still and allowed him to work, the coolness of the washcloth causing goose bumps to form. Sakura watched as Sasuke was about to wipe away a glob that was on her collarbone, but stopped before the washcloth touched it. Slowly, he leaned forward and gently licked it from her body, sending a wave of heat through Sakura's body.

And then, as if he hadn't done a thing, he pulled away and continued to work. Sakura took a deep breath, her face slightly flushed. Sasuke ignored this, never once glancing up to meet her gaze and focused on the task in front of him until she was completely clean. Only then, did he look up to her flushed face and smirk.

He leaned in, planting a simple chaste kiss on her lips and pulling away. "Oops." He said after a moment and blushed the washcloth on her face again, wiping some whip cream off that he had put on her when he kissed her.

Sakura smiled and pulled the washcloth out of his hand, and after a quickly rinse, he proceeded to clean him in return. It was done quickly and silently and soon they were both clean. Sasuke smirked and pulled her off the counter and carried her upstairs, gently kissing her the entire time. Once they reached their room they pulled away and went to grab new shirts. Quickly changing, they exited the room and Sasuke went straight down stairs while Sakura made a pit stop to tell Ino they were going out and she was in charge.

They met at the door and after putting on her shoes, they intertwined their hands and walked out into the warm May night. They walked slowly, at an even pace through the quieter streets toward the main streets. It was peaceful on the quieter streets, most of the people on the street inside at the late time. They walked in the middle of the road, silently but both enjoying the peace.

It was nice at first, until they got onto the main streets where more people were despite the time. People sat at restaurants or bars or strolling down the street like them. But, unlike most people that walked by, the young couple drew the attention of almost everyone they walked by. People stopped what they were doing and stared or engaged in whispered conversations about said couple.

Sasuke ignored it all, keeping his head held high and his stared straight ahead, never glanced at the people he knew hated him. Sakura on the other hand, stared at the ground. While she had gotten somewhat used to the stares, it still bothered her to some extent knowing that the stared would only increase when she began to show.

Sakura ducked her head, leaning her body into Sasuke's in an effort to hide. Sasuke squeezed her hand in understanding and turned his attention to her. "Why don't we start to head back. We can take the quieter streets back." He said and she nodded with a small smile on her face. Sasuke smirked in return and kissed her forehead gently as they turned down a new street.

Once away from the stares, Sakura relaxed and the peaceful mood returned quickly. The silence continued for a long unknown time before Sasuke spoke in a very quiet tone. "I was thinking the spring."

Sakura looked up at him questionable. He stared straight forward, not looking at her though she knew he was aware of her stare. "What?" she asked.

"The spring." he repeated as if the was the answer to her question.

He was silent for a long moment and she stared at her questionable the entire time. From the look on his face, she noted, it seemed as if he was collecting his thoughts and trying to word them.

"In a few months- November to be exact- the baby will be born. Everything is so crazy right now, we wouldn't be able to pull it together before the baby was born and I doubt you would want to do it when you are pregnant anyways. And after the baby is born, its going to be a little crazy at first and will take up a lot of our time so it would probably be best to wait until a few months after the bay is born to do it." Sasuke said, but in manner that made Sakura believe he wasn't really taking to her. He was just thinking out loud, she concluded.

"And thus, you came up with the spring." Sakura concluded after thinking through his logic.

Sasuke looked at her and nodded. "The spring." He agreed.

Sakura nodded and stared at the path in front of them. She was silent for a few minutes, thinking, before she spoke again. "So, it's decided. The spring will be the best time for it."

"Correct." Sasuke said calmly.

Sakura nodded determinedly and Sasuke smirked in response. They lapsed back into a peaceful silence that went undisturbed for a long while.

"Sasuke, can I ask you a question?" She asked suddenly.

"Hmm." He said and turned his attention to her.

She looked up at his face innocently and smiled sheepishly. "You never told me. What would be best in the spring?" she asked.

Sasuke eyed her questionable for a moment and then went through the conversation in his head. After a moment he chuckled and ran his free hand through his hair. "I guess I didn't, did I?"

"Nope." Sakura agreed and then stared at him, patiently waiting from him to answer.

He looked away from her eyes, and stared straight ahead. "I think a spring wedding would be nice." He stated.

Sakura raised her eyebrow. "A wedding?" She stated in a confused manner.

Sasuke kept his eyes forward. "Yes."

And without thinking Sakura blurted out her next thoughts, not bothering to consider if she would sound like an idiot. "Who's?"

Sasuke stopped walked, causing her to stop as well, and stared at her like she was missing something obvious. She was silent for a long moment, trying to piece everything together. She was failing miserably for a long time before it just suddenly came to her. "Oh." she said, her eyes wide and her face marred with surprise.

"Oh?" Sasuke repeated her, in a disbelieving tone. "That's all you can say? Oh?"

"Well, that was a very round-about way to propose to me. I had a long day and my mind is working rather slowly at this moment." Sakura stated in her defense. Sasuke rolled his eyes in response and then looked at her very seriously.

"So. . ?" He trailed off.

Sakura smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes to kiss him. It was long, and passionate, leaving no doubt in Sasuke's mind that her answer was yes.

When they broke apart they were both out of breath and lightly dazed. Sasuke smirked. "So, that was either a yes or a very cruel way to say no." Sasuke teased.

"Very cute." she muttered before placed her hand behind his head and pulling him into another kiss. This kiss was much more heated and Sasuke found that he was quickly losing his self control. Knowing that if they didn't get home soon they would be doing something _very _inappropriate in public, Sasuke gripped Sakura's thighs and lifted her off the ground. She quickly wrapped her legs around his waist, never breaking the kiss, and allowed herself to be carried.

Sasuke mentally was grateful that they weren't very far from home and they were home before no time. Stepping inside and slamming the door closed with his foot, Sasuke carried them straight to their bedroom, forgetting about shoes or anyone else in the house.

Ino stepped into the hallway, after hearing the front door slam close, right as they were coming up the stairs. She made a face at seeing how they were so attached to eat other, but it went unnoticed by the two who went into their room quickly and slammed the door close behind them. Ino stood there for a long moment, completely shocked that she just witnessed that and then slowly turned back into her room. She decided that she would use earplugs that night and hope that she would not dwell too much on what was going on in the next room.

xOx

Sasuke stood by the back door, a warm cup of coffee in his hand. It was just barely five in the morning, early enough for him to get up and start the day. He had been up for quiet awhile and had laid in bed for much of that time with Sakura's sleeping form. But once it struck four he told himself that was a reasonable time to get up, he got out of bed and took a quickly shower before he went down stairs.

The coffee warmed his hands and Sasuke silently took a sip. Coffee had become his addiction in recent days. He relied heavily on it to keep him going throughout the day and drank more than three cups a day.

Finishing his cup, he went to refill it. He turned away from the back door and noticed Akina standing at the door of the kitchen. He went to the coffee maker and poured two cups, fixing one the way she liked it and leaving the other just black. Wordlessly, he handed the cup to her- she nodded her head as a way to thank him- and then leaned against the counter to drink his.

"How long have you been up?" she asked after a moment.

"Awhile." he said in return. She nodded wordlessly and took a sip.

"Do you ever sleep?" she asked once she swallowed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes but nodded in response anyways.

Silence settled between them as they drank, each in their own thoughts. Sasuke sighed after a moment. He was going to have to talk to Akina. There was some very pressing things that needed to be said and although he didn't really want to have to, he knew he had to do it. He looked away from his cup in his hands and noticed Akina staring at him.

He opened his mouth to address her, but Ino walked into the kitchen at that moment and froze when she saw Sasuke. She glanced at her, noticing how her face was carefully blank and her eyes held a guarded expression. She walked over the coffee machine, right next to Sasuke and carefully ignored him.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"I can't believe you would do _that_ while I was in the same house as you. Right next room over, in fact." she whispered so Akina wouldn't hear what was being said between them.

Sasuke blushed slightly and stared at his cup in his hands. "I'm sure Sakura will tell you when she wakes up." Sasuke whispered in responds.

"Ew. I hope not. I don't want the details." Ino whispered as she poured some cream into her cup.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I wasn't talking about the details. I sincerely hope she would never tell you anything of that sort."

"Then what?" Ino whispered as she grabbed the sugar.

She waited for him to say something but when he didn't she looked at him. "Tell me what?" Ino said loud enough to draw Akina's attention, still pouring the sugar.

Sasuke smirked and shook his head. "Your not going to tell me, are you?" Ino asked, her volume growing with each question. Sasuke shook his head in response and his smirk grew bigger.

"Is it juicy?" she asked.

Sasuke now had a small smile on his face. He look Ino straight in the eyes with a impishly look on his face. "Oh, yeah." he stated, seeing her interest grow.

"Tell me." she demanded, but Sasuke shook his head.

"Why not?" she asked.

Sasuke smiled wickedly at her. "Cause I like messing with you and I know it will drive you crazy not knowing." He stated and then took a sip of his coffee. He hadn't been mean to her in awhile.

"I hate you so much right now." Ino stated.

Sasuke chuckled. "I know."

xOx

The rest of the morning was spent by Ino and Sasuke bickering until Sakura came down two hours later. Unfortunately for Ino, Sakura had woken up late and was now going to be late for work and did not have time to tell Ino about what happened. Sasuke couldn't help but laugh when Sakura left for work and Ino was left standing by the door in agony.

Sasuke, all joking aside, was now determined to talk to Akina. He didn't want anyone to interrupt them and he didn't want to drag it out for very long so he decided on the perfect time. When Ino left to drop Seto off at daycare, he would sit Akina down and get everything out in the open.

But as Ino was leaving to with Seto, she decided that Akina looked like she could use the walk. Sasuke had objected to this but Ino insisted, even when Akina sided with Sasuke. Ino then all but dragged Akina by the hair out the door before anyone could object farther. Sasuke mentally cursed her to hell as he went to tend to Mikoto.

The walk to drop Seto off was quiet between the two women but Seto kept them both entertained. Once reaching the daycare, Ino and Akina both gave him hugs and then watched until he was safely with one of the adults. They began the walk back, Ino insisting on the taking the side streets instead of the main streets even though it was the longer way home.

"So, Akina, I want to talk to you about something." Ino said after a long stretch of silence.

Akina looked at the road ahead of her and smirked. "I knew you wanted something." She stated.

Ino nodded. "Yeah well, I wasn't even trying to hide that fact." she said in a slightly harsh tone.

Akina heard the tone and was immediately on guard. She looked at Ino through narrowed eyes, waiting for her to continue.

"I want to talk to you about Sasuke's and Sakura's relationship."

* * *

**Yeah, kind of a cliffhanger, but what can i say? I wanted to get it out. So tell me what you think! I like hearing what you have to say! (Even flames. They make me laugh.) **

**Oh, on a sidenote, my first authors note was supposed to be slightly funny. But i don't really think it came out that way.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Well, hello my faithful firends. Look, another chapter. Yah! So i actually finshed this chapter yesterday. I had stayed up the night before in order to work on this and make you all happy. so i finised it yesterday but was unable to post it because fanfiction decided to be dumb. But fear not, it is here.**

**So thank you to all that reviewed and supported me on the flame thing. I think i must take this time to just say that i was not, in any way shape or form, hurt or offened by the flame. Instead, i found it quite humorous, to be prefectly honest. I do not take flames to heart at all. But my sister, when i told her about it, got very mad. She started cursing and being an older sister trying to portect her younger sister. It was all very touching and funny cause she says some funny things when she starts ranting(even though some weren't all that nice.) God, you have to love her. She says that she loves you all and is very grateful that you guess stuck up for me in your reviews. Thank you all.**

**And now i must ask you all a favor. I just started a new story (the summary is in my profile under the sotry idea section if you are interested.) but i kind of ran into a problem. I, as i am sure i mentioned this before, am horrible at coming up with names. Seriously, if i ever have children in the future, i feel sorry for them. I need a band name and i can not, for the life of me, think of one. This is where you come in. If you could brain storm and possible think of one, i would love to hear it. i'm looking for somethinf simple but memorable. Maybe one or two words. This band is a hard rock, dirty, out of control band. NOw i don't have any plans to post this story right away but i'm kind of stuck. I hope to post this story sometime soon, like when i have a few chapters done or when this story is done, but i would need a name to do that. So, if you could message me or leave the name at the end of a review, i would really be grateful. In fact, i just might deciate the whole story to you. PLEASE!**

**Well, enough of that. Please enjoy.**

* * *

Akina narrowed her eyes at the blonde's words and looked away. "What about it?" She asked, her eyes looking at the street ahead of them and not at the blonde herself.

"Well, I'm under the impression that you don't approve of this relationship." Ino stated, but got no response from Akina then to turn her head away.

"I am also under the impression that the reason you don't like this relationship is because you don't like Sakura and think she isn't good enough for him." Ino said after she got no response from Akina.

Akina finally turned to her, looking at her with narrowed eyes. "Let me guess, your going to tell me that I don't know her, aren't you."

"Ino, who had been perfectly calm until this point, glared at the woman in front of her. "You don't know her."

Akina rolled her eyes. "I know enough ." She said.

Ino's anger flared and she reached out and grabbed Akina's arm, pulling her to a stop. Once she was had the woman's attention, she let go and glared at her. "You know nothing about Sakura. You are just holding a grudge against her for filling your spot in Sasuke's heart. You have thought that this strange girl has just walked into this family and pushed her way into a spot. You think she doesn't deserve everything that Sasuke does for her." Ino said in a clam tone.

"She doesn't deserve -" Akina started but Ino quickly interrupted her.

"You have no idea how much Sakura deserves for Sasuke to make her happy. She has been in love with him ever since they were twelve. They were on the same team together with Naruto. And during that time, her crush for him developed into love. And while he will never admit it, she broke through some of his barriers and found a place in his heart.

"But he left in order to get power, and then you came into his and Itachi's life. You may think that he likes you, but ever since he was twelve his heart belonged to Sakura." Ino said, causing Akina to glare. But before Akina could say anything in response, Ino was talking again.

"And while you were off having sex with his brother and he was in the sound, Sakura was here completely devastated. She loved him so much and he was gone. And although the entire village started to hate him and all of his friends gave up hope that he was ever coming back, she never did. She trained her body, and became the strongest medic in this entire village and probably entire world. She did this in the hopes that she may be able to drag Sasuke back home one day, by force if necessary. She knew where he belonged and she was willing to give it all up to get him there.

"You have no idea how much she suffered from all the crap that Sasuke put her through. I'm sure that your little selfish mind will never be able to grasp just how much she went through to get to the point where she is today. She is happy. Sasuke is back home and is finally able to love her like she has loved him." Ino said calmly.

Akina rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh. Popping her hip out and crossing her arms over her chest, she looked at Ino with a bored expression on her face. "Are you done? Cause I really don't care about any of this."

Ino glared at her. "Why you little-" she started but Akina interrupted her.

"Well, whatever. I'm done listening to you rant." She said and turned and startled to walk away.

But Ino wasn't having it. She raced forward and grabbed her arm very tightly and spun her around to face her. "Okay, listen here, Sakura is my best friend. And things are finally going her way for once and as her best friend, I'll be damned if I let a little slut like you mess up what she has going for her." Ino said, causing Akina's mouth to drop open in disbelief and anger.

She tried to rip her arms out of Ino grip but Ino, being the ninja she was, held tightly. "Now you will listen to me once and for all! Back Off!" Ino shouted, drawing the attention of the few people on the street with them. But Ino didn't care, as long as she had Akina's attention.

She continued now, in a much quieter tone but much harsher. "Sakura deserves to be happy, after all the shit she went through for him. Sasuke deserves to be happy after all his happiness was ripped away from him at such a young age. Sakura makes him happy and he makes her happy. They deserve to be left alone.

"But you, a whore that already has two children with his brother, is trying to break up their relationship. You aren't loved by him, and you can't get over that so you hate Sakura because he loves her. You're pathetic. Get a fucking life and butt out of Sasuke's."

Akina stood in a shocked manner. "W-what did you just say?" She choked out.

Ino kept an eerily clam face as she spoke. "You're a slut. You're a whore. And you're a bitch as well. You act as if you are better than everyone else and that you deserve to be pampered and loved. You treat people like dirt even though you, my friend, are much lower than dirt.

"Sakura is a hard working person. She worked her way up in the ranks and is now on her way to be the next sannin. She is kind to everyone even those who don't deserve it, like you. She is loved here. She is called the Cherry Blossom of Konoha because she is beautiful and kind, but is strong and fierce.

"You, on the other hand, are a slut. You have two children, which you dumped on Sasuke's shoulders and expected to just come and be there mother when ever it fits into your schedule. You don't have a home, instead you travel around and mooch off those who pity you enough to take you in. Sasuke didn't let you stay because he likes you. He felt sorry for you and felt obligated to take care of you since you are with his brother. You aren't liked, though you think you are. But in fact, the only people that do like you only like you because they think you will sleep with them."

"Hey! That's not true!" Akina shouted.

But Ino ignored her interruption. "Now, I'm usually a nice person and I would never usually be this truthful to someone. In fact, I find that sometimes if you keep the truth from someone that you don't like, it hurts them more in the long run. But, you are really startling to piss me off. I don't like you and I never did. You always bugged me a little. But I bit my tongue because for one, it isn't any of my business and two, because Sakura told me to give you a chance.

"She's just way to nice and actually thought that maybe you two could be friends. I thought she was insane, but she insisted that I be civil to you. And I will admit that you had me going there for a moment when you were being civil to everyone in return. But your little stunt yesterday you convinced me that you need a serious talk."

"I don't need-" Akina started, trying to pull her arm away from Ino again but failing.

"Oh, yes you do. Sakura is in the Uchiha family, whether you like it or not. She is the mother to your children because you are too selfish to be what you needed to be. Sakura has sacrificed a lot to take care of that family but all you see is that she pushed you out of your spot. But, I'm sorry honey, but you left that slot wide open and someone needed to take over while you were off gallivanting around.

"Sakura isn't going anywhere. She is permanently involved with that family now. Now you can either accept that, or don't. Really, no one cares what you do. You aren't going to split them apart, so stop trying. Because as long as Sakura is around, I will be around. And if I see you trying to get between them again, I will stop you and I won't just talk to you like I am doing now." Ino said, tightening her grip on Akina's arm causing her to wince slightly.

Ino smiled sweetly and dropped her grip. "Wow, would you look at the time. I have to get going. I haven't annoyed Sasuke in awhile and quite frankly, I'm in the mood to torture someone. It was nice having this little talk with you. I'm going to head to the manor now. You look like you need a walk though so I will see you later. Bye, dear." She said and then cheerfully walked away, walking with a slight bounce in her step.

Akina glared at her retreating back and rubbed her arm. Glancing around, she noticed that there were a few people staring at her. By the looks of it, they only caught that they had a fight but didn't actually catch all that was said. Akina glared at them and then turned in the opposite direction at Ino went in. She was right though; she needed a walk to cool her down after that.

xOx

Sasuke put the food in the oven and turned, throwing the towel he used to protect his hands to the side. Ino was upstairs taking a shower after a long day of annoying the hell out of him, Sakura was on her way from work and picking up Seto from daycare along the way and Mikoto was in the next room playing with some toys. Akina, however, had yet to return home after her walk with Ino. But when he asked Ino about it, she just replied that she wanted to take a longer walk and would be back whenever.

Sasuke mused this over as he went into the next room, standing at the doorway and watched Mikoto play with some toys on the floor. She was six months now, and like most Uchihas, she was developing quickly. She could sit up now without support and reach for her toys and objects. She was well on her way to crawling, almost done it a few times but was unable to, and possibly speaking. She now liked to repeat the syllable da and ma. He would often hear her in the middle of the night: "Da-da-da-da-da-da Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma . . ."

He smirked, forgetting all his worries and everything that he stresses over and just watched his little girl. He stood there for an unknown amount of time until he heard the door open. "We're home." Sakura called and Mikoto immediately turned toward the sound of her voice, recognizing it.

Seto spotted Sasuke standing in the doorway to the living room and quickly pulled off his shoes and ran to him. "Daddy!" He shouted as he threw himself into Sasuke's open arms. They did the usual routine, hug each other and then Seto told him about his day.

Sakura stood back and watched, her hand resting on her lower stomach where her three month old child was growing. Sasuke glanced at her, and after Seto was done talking, he sent him upstairs to change, having set out clothes for him earlier. Seto nodded and quickly ran up the stairs while Sasuke went over and greeted Sakura.

He rested his forehead against hers, wrapping his arms around her waist while hers settled around his neck. He leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers, a gentle chaste kiss. "Welcome home, love." He whispered to her.

"Glad to be home, babe." She whispered back, giving him an innocent kiss as well.

"How was your day?" Sasuke asked, their foreheads still together.

"It was fine. I made just in time and none of the patients were bugging me or really hurt. It was an easy day. Yours?"

He rolled his eyes for a brief moment and sighed slightly. "It was fine, excluding Ino bugging me all day." He said. , causing Sakura to giggle. He smirked and then continued. "I even had a chance to return to the old Uchiha Manor." He said conversationally, but Sakura pulled away in shock and in worry.

"The old Uchiha Manor? Why were you doing there?" She asked as she studied his face. He looked fine, not in anyway depressed or angry.

Sasuke shrugged very nonchalantly. "I was looking for something." He said like it was no big deal.

"For what?" She asked, curious as to what was so important to make him go there. That place holds a lot of memories for him, both good and bad, and it was still rather difficult for him to go there. He made a habit of staying as far way from the place that he grew up in as he could.

Sasuke reached into his pocket with a perfectly calm face. He produced a small box and handed it to Sakura, who looked at him curiously. He motioned for her to open it and she slowly, and almost nervously, she obliged.

Inside was a smooth velvety box, one that usually held only one thing, held the Uchiha fan on the lid of the box. She glanced up at him in disbelief only to see him calmly looked back at her, the picture of ease. She stared at him for a long moment and Sasuke smirked. "Just open it." He commanded.

She breathed deeply and opened the smaller box and let out her breath in a rush. The ring, nestled perfectly in smooth fabric inside, was breath taking. It was beautiful, a simple white gold with white diamonds. The diamonds, the largest in the center while two smaller one where placed on either side. The center diamond was huge, but not big enough to way down the entire finger. Sakura just stared in disbelief, unable to wrap her mind such a thing.

Sasuke smirked, seeing her expression then gently pulled the ring out of the box. She watched, completely frozen, as he gently slid it onto her left ring finger. Sasuke smirked. It was a perfect fit just like he thought it would be. He was worried that he would have to go and get it resized to fit Sakura's finger. But when he saw the ring after so many years, it looked much smaller than it did when he was younger. (It was probably because he was much smaller then and he has grown up quite a bit he thought much later.) It looked like it would fit her after all and he was right.

Sakura looked at the ring on her finger, her eyes wide and her mouth open. She looked up a Sasuke, trying to find words but failing miserably. He smirked at this, kissing her forehead. "It was my mother's." he stated as he admired how it looked on her hand. Prefect, he thought.

"O-oh, S-Sasuke." Sakura choked out but could not get anything else out. She quickly gave up trying to word how she was feeling and jumped into his arms, kissing him passionately.

"Ew, gross." They heard, and the quickly broke apart and looked down the hall to see Ino rubbing her hair down with a towel and Seto, his face all bunched up in disgust. Sakura blushed, but wrapped her arms around Sasuke's waist and held him close.

"I agree with you little man." Ino said nonchalantly.

Seto smiled up at his Aunt Ino and then high-fived her before running off to play. Sasuke just rolled his eyes at the two and turned and kissed Sakura on the forehead one more time before moving to go into the kitchen to check on dinner. Ino eyed Sakura, bright red but her entire face lit up with happiness. "What's going on?"

But before she could answer, Naruto entered the house, shouting like he usually was. "Hey Teme! I'm hungry! You skipped out on ramen again so I had to pay for it myself! So, I now demand that you provide me with dinner!" He came in shouting, bumping into Sakura in the process.

"Oh, hey Sakura! Your stupid boyfriend of yours skipped out on lunch again! Doesn't he know that I can't afford to pay for it all?"

Sakura smiled at him. "Well, why don't you cut down on the ramen? I'm sure you can pay for it if you just ate less." She trued to reason but the appalled look on Naruto's face told her she wasn't convincing anyone.

"Less Ramen! That's like telling you no more peanut butter!"

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Hey, I actually have an excuse."

Naruto's face changed from the appalled expression to a cheerful one. "Speaking of which, how is the little guy in there?" Naruto asked and then he was suddenly pressing his ear against her stomach. "HEY LITTLE GUY! I'M YOUR UNCLE NARUTO AND YOUR GONNA LOVE ME!" Naruto shouted into her stomach, causing both Ino and Sakura to sweat drop.

"Um, Naruto, the baby can't understand you yet. It's only three months old." Sakura tried to explain.

"And who says is going to be a boy?" Ino asked.

Naruto looked at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Well obviously it's going to be a boy so that they can name him Naruto after his favorite uncle and role model."

"HA! Like Hell!" They heard Sasuke shout from the kitchen, drawing Naruto's attention.

"Hey Teme, I have a bone to pick with you!"

xOx

They all sat down to dinner, Naruto now happy that he was getting food. Sasuke and Sakura sat next to eat other, Sasuke the picture of ease while Sakura was just about bubbling over with happiness. Ino looked at her funny; unable to figure out what she was just all giddy about. Seto chatted happily with Naruto while Sasuke tended to Mikoto in between bites of his own food. Akina, Sasuke noticed, hadn't come home yet.

"Ino, where's Akina again?" He asked as he fed Mikoto.

"Out for a walk. Don't worry about it. She'll be back when she wants to come back." Ino said, feeling like she had to explain it for the thousandth time. And then, just to change the subject, she spoke again. "Okay, seriously what is going on with you Sakura?" She asked after noticing Sakura humming happily to herself.

Sakura looked up at her in surprise and then a bright smile took over her entire face. She glanced quickly at Sasuke, who smirked, and then turned to Ino and stuck out her hand.

Ino looked at her in confusion for a moment before she noticed that it was her left hand. And then she saw the rock and all hell broke loose.

She let out an excited screech, hurting everyone's ears though Sakura didn't seem to even notice, and the jumped up and over the table to pull Sakura into a tight hug. "OH MY GOD!" She screamed.

Naruto looked at them, his face marred with confusion and alarm, looked to Sasuke who was completely calm and seeming to be oblivious to the screaming girls. Then looking at the girls again, them jumping up and down screaming and having a total girl moment. And then back to Sasuke once more. "What the hell is going on and why aren't you freaking out!?" He yelled at Sasuke in confusion.

Sasuke shrugged. "I knew it was coming." He said, much to Naruto's confusion.

Ino pulled away so that she could see Sakura's face. "When did it happen?" She asked, ignoring Naruto in the background asking when what happened.

"Last night but I got the ring today!" She said with her brightest smile that she couldn't seem to get off her face.

Ino smiled back and gushed with her and then suddenly froze and glared at Sasuke. "Is this what you were teasing me about this morning?" She asked in an eerily dark voice. Sasuke smirked.

She went to hit him in the back of the head, but he ducked and she ended up hitting Naruto in the face, causing him to fall off his seat. But instead of feeling sorry and helping him up, she just turned back to Sakura and examined the ring again. "This thing is HUGE! It must have cost a fortune!" She exclaimed.

Sakura shook her head, smile still in place. "Nope. It was Sasuke's mother's ring, so it didn't cost him a thing." She said.

Ino looked up at her as she said this and then back at the ring. "Damn! This thing is huge, probably worth a fortune and has history to it. Damn you Uchiha's for being so rich. If I ever get married my ring is going to look puny next to yours. That has to weigh down your entire hand." She said, but Sakura could only giggle in response.

Sasuke, ignoring the girls next to him, lend down to look at Naruto on the ground. He was holding his nose, his eyes slightly watering. "Are you okay, Dobe?"

* * *

**Well there you have it. I'm kind of getting annoyed with Akina myself, so if you noticed she was strangely missing from the end of the chapter. Very strange. And i added Naruto in there cause i miss him. Lol.**

**So now that they are offically engaged, i think another family dinner is in store for them.**

**Well, tell me what you think!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Ello, mt friends. I'm with another quick update and another all nighter to get it done. I've want to try and get as many updates as i can in before school starts up again. SOPHOMORES! WOOT! WOOT! Sorry, i'm really a little silly from lack of sleep.**

**So this chapter is dedicated to some special people. They gave me some suggestions for the band name. Yuppers, cause they're cool. So yeah, tis chapter is for **xXxMiss'TeasexXx **and **narutolove1987**. And i'm sure i'm forgetting someone but i can't for the life of me remeber who it was. So sorry if i forgot you. This chapter is for you too if you reviewed with a band name. I'm sorry i just can't remember.**

**Also a special mention. This mention is actaully from a review from the last chapter by **CrazyGreyWolfGirl**. Oh, yes, how could i have forgotten that Sasuke was actaully a vampire in disguise. It just slipped my mind. Well now i just feel silly for that authors note. Geez, now i may have to apologize. Lol. I also see no similarites between Twilight and this story. And people may think of Twilight cause Bella got pregenant and now Sakura is that i got the ides from Twilight but that wasn't the case. My cousin is actaully pregnant and about to pop any day now. (In fact they are going to induse labor in two days if the baby doesn't come.) That is where i got the idea. I was thinking about my cousin and then the idea came to me. But whatever.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Sasuke sighed for the umpteenth time that day. It was just crazy right now. Sakura had called her parents and they had all agreed on a night for a- hopefully peaceful- family dinner. So now, Sasuke stood in the kitchen cooking, cleaning, watching Mikoto and trying to keep Sakura from stressing herself out too much. Which the last turned out to be an impossible task, he soon found out.

Sakura has been in and out of the house all day. First for some last minute shopping for some ingredients for dinner, then to drop off Seto, and then for an emergency at the hospital. And then she comes home and was working to clean the house and try to kick Sasuke out of the kitchen. And all this to the usually stress that engulfs her when her parents visits and you get where she was now.

Sasuke gulped down another swig of his coffee. With all the craziness in the house that day, he hadn't been able to eat at all today. The only thing that was keeping him up was the four cups of coffee he was able to consume in between the many things going on today. Sasuke inwardly cursed Ino to hell. She chooses this day, the day where her presence would have been greatly appreciated to help out, to work at the flower shop. She was always there when Sasuke didn't want her to be, but the one time he wanted her there so he could take a break to eat she decides that her parents need a break from the shop for a day.

Akina poked her head into the kitchen. "I'm going out." She announced.

Sasuke turned in her direction for the briefest moment before turning back to his task at hand. He silently debated whether or not to ask her to help him but decided against it. Things have just been a little off with her lately and he didn't want to be by her hurt and possible PMS-ing self. "Be back by dinner." He said with his back turned to her.

She rolled her eyes, already heading toward the door. "You're not my father." She yelled back.

Sasuke turned to retort but he heard the front door slam close before he could. Letting out another sigh, he ran his hand through his hair. She had been like that for awhile. Since the day that Ino and her went for a walk, about a week ago, and didn't come back for awhile.

[Flashback]

_Sasuke cleaned the coffee out quickly before setting it up for the next morning. Everyone had already gone to bed but Sasuke, of course, couldn't sleep. So instead in lying in bed for hours staring at the wall, he busied himself with doing things around the house as quietly as he could. He was debating whether or not he should try to go to sleep or to try to find something else to do when the front door opened and Akina walked into the kitchen moments later._

"_Waiting up for me?" She asked in a rather tired voice as she quickly dug in the fridge for anything edible. _

_Sasuke, now having something to do, pushed her out of the way and started to heat up the leftovers from dinner. "Nah, just couldn't sleep." He said with a shrug as he pushed some food onto a plate._

"_Right. I forgot you never sleep. My mistake." She said, sitting down at the table._

_Sasuke ignored her comment and set the food down in front of her. She thanked him quietly and then dug in. Sasuke watched for a moment before sitting down across from her. "Akina, I need to talk to you."_

_She looked up at him, some rice on her lip, with a questioning look on her face. "About what?"_

"_About mine and Sakura's relationship." He said calmly._

_She stiffened immediately and then stared down at her food, avoiding looking at him. "Oh no." She muttered to herself._

_Sasuke ignored her muttering. "I love her a lot, more than I even thought possible. She makes me happy after years of being unhappy. " He started._

"_Sasuke, please-" She interrupted, still staring at her food._

_But Sasuke didn't listen, undeterred by her interruption. "I don't really know your exact feeling for me, but I'm sorry that I will not be able to return them."_

"_Sasuke, just please stop right now. I really can't take this at the mo-" Akina said calmly, but in a slightly strained voice, still not looking at him._

"_We're getting married." He stated._

_Akina's head snapped up at his words. She stared at him for a very long moment, her eyes wide and her mouth open. "W-what?" She chocked out._

"_I proposed the other night and she said yes." he said calmly._

_Her fork fell from her hand, missing her plate and table completely and clattering to the floor noisily. It was silent for an unknown amount of time before she spoke. "But you're so young. You haven't even turned nineteen yet." She said with her voice coated in disbelief._

_Sasuke stared down at the table surface. "I love her and I'm completely committed to her. It just seems silly to wait."_

_Akina stood up, the chair scrapping against the ground loudly. "Silly to wait! You're kidding me, right?" She said, rather loudly._

"_Can you please keep it down? Everyone is sleeping, including Naruto in the next room." Sasuke said calmly, remembering that Naruto wanted to crash on the couch._

"_You are so young! Things change! You haven't even shopped around yet! She's your first girlfriend! You can't marry her!" Akina said, trying to convince him, but even she could tell she wasn't getting anywhere._

"_Akina, please. Keep it down. It's three in the morning."_

"_I don't care! There is absolutely no way that this can happen! You aren't even nineteen yet!" She said in disbelief before she tone switched to a slightly calmer tone. "You are going to ruin your whole life by doing this at such a young age with the first girl you saw. I'm sorry, but it's for your own good that I say that I will not let this happen."_

"_She is three months pregnant with my child." Sasuke stated when he saw that was wasn't going to back down._

_Akina froze, her whole body tense. After a very long- looooooooonnnnggggg- pause she spoke in such a quiet voice that he almost missed it. "But I thought you were still a virgin. . ." she said._

_Sasuke looked back down at the table top. "Yeah . . . that ship has sailed." He said, a slight blush on his face. _

_Akina stared at him for a moment before picking up her half eaten plate of food and went over to the counter robotically. Dropping it in with a loud bang and shattering the plate in the process, she turned and walked out of the kitchen._

[End of Flashback]

And instead of handling this news like an adult, Akina had resorted to acting like a child. She spent most of her time out doing god knows what and then returned very late at night only to sleep in to past noon. And when she wasn't sleeping or out somewhere, she was acting like a bitch to everyone in sight and pissing Sasuke off.

But he was somewhat grateful that she hadn't said anything to Sakura. She avoided her like a plague but spent her time pissing Sasuke off instead. So, with all the stress he usually piled into his plate, he now had Akina on that plate as well.

Sasuke crossed the room and went to the table to grab the bowl of noodles. But when he turned to head back to the counter, his head spun. In his dizzy daze, he dropped the bowl and grabbed onto the chair to hold him up. The room spun around him and he tried helplessly to get his bearings.

Sakura, upstairs at the time, held something crash and quickly rushed down stairs. When she ran into the kitchen Sasuke had one hand on his head on the other on a chair he leaned heavily on. There was a mess of noodles everywhere on the ground, but Sasuke didn't seem to notice. She rushed to his side, trying to determine what was wrong. "Sasuke?" She asked in a worried tone.

Sasuke looked up to meet her gaze, and although he was still fighting the dizzy feeling slightly, he smiled as if nothing was wrong. She stared back at him unconvinced and asked what happened.

"Nothing." He said calmly before turning his attention to the mess. "Damn it." He cursed and then bent down to pick it up. But the sudden moment caused another wave of dizziness to hit him and he swayed uneasily, holding his head again.

Sakura reached down, steadying him. "Are you okay?" She asked as he started to regain his steadiness.

Once it passed, Sasuke pulled his hand away from his head and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was nothing." He said, trying to gather up the noodles on the ground but Sakura stopped him.

"Sasuke, would you just stop working for two seconds?" She said grabbing his hands and making him drop the noodles. "Are you okay?" She asked again when she succeeded to stop him from cleaning.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm fine. Calm down." He said, reaching for the noodles again.

Sakura swatted his hands and then felt his forehead. "No fever, but you do look a little pale. Have you eaten anything today?" She asked, her medic skills kicking in.

Sasuke mentally debated whether or not to try to lie. But after realizing he would never get away with it, he gave in. "I had some coffee." He stated and then watched as Sakura's face shifted to anger.

"Sasuke! You have been running around here like a mad man all day and you haven't eaten anything! And you didn't even come to bed last night! How much sleep are you running on?"

Sasuke sighed. "I fell asleep for an hour at the table last night." He admitted.

Sakura glared at him. "That's it. You're taking a break. For the rest of the day you are to relax. No working and no worrying about anything." He commanded.

Sasuke looked at her in disbelief. "Love, I have things to do. I have to finish cleaning the kitchen and finish the food and then I hav-"

"And no arguing either. Now, come on." she said pulling him to his feet. "Let's get you up stairs." She said as she pulled him into the hall.

"But the noodles. And the rice. And the-" Sasuke said as he tried to pull himself out of her grip, but was unable to in his weakened state.

"No buts. Rest." Sakura said, pushing him through their bedroom door and into the bed.

"Sakura, really there is a lot of stuff that needs to get done." He said trying to sit up only to be pushed back down.

"Don't worry, I'll handle it." She said.

Sasuke frowned. "See, the point of me doing all those things was so you wouldn't have to." He stated, trying to get up again.

Sakura pushed him back down and then placed her hands on her hips. "Sasuke, I may be pregnant, but it doesn't mean that I am incapable of doing things. Just relax and I will take care of it." She said in a tone that left no arguing.

xOx

"Naruto, can you put this on the table?" Sakura asked, holding a bowl extended in her hand.

After she just Sasuke upstairs, she called Naruto to come over to help her. He, of course, came when she promised that he could join them for dinner. He was surprisingly a lot of help. He helped with the cooking- working on simple things that was very hard to ruin- and helped clean and even helped put Sasuke back upstairs when he kept trying to help.

It was also a relief when Ino got off her shift at the flower shop and came 'home'. So, she also helped, though Sakura was sure that her motives weren't so good. Sure, she did it because Sakura was her best friend but she was sure that she just really enjoyed kicking Sasuke out of the kitchen and watching as he got upset when they took him back upstairs to rest.

Naruto took the bowl from her hand, while Sakura grabbed another and set it down as well. She smiled. "There. Everything is ready." She said, before fixing her dress. She decided that since tonight was kind of special she was going to dress up a bit more. She wore a nice white sundress, casual but a little classier than the shorts and tank top she was wearing earlier.

They didn't have to wait for long when they heard the knock on the door. Sakura rushed to open it, greeting them with a bright smile. For once, she was truly excited for her a family dinner. While she was a little afraid how her father would take it, her want to show her mother the ring won over her fear. "Mom! Dad! I've missed you! Come in!" She greeted brightly, hugging them both before they could even take off their shoes.

Her mother immediately felt her mood and quickly lapsed into a very similar mood. "Oh honey, we've missed you too! We were so excited when you called for the dinner. I was actually thinking about calling you four over for dinner at our house when you called."

They quickly moved into the living room and chatted happily for awhile. Ino, Naruto and Seto joined them as well. It wasn't long before Sasuke got out of bed again and was down stairs again. He greeted Mrs. Haruno kindly and then awkwardly turned to Mr. Haruno.

"Mr. Haruno." He greeted, nodding his head slightly. Mr. Haruno did the same awkwardly and then turned his attention elsewhere.

After the greetings where over, Sakura jumped out of her seat and motioned for Sasuke to take it. He just glared at her. "Sakura, sit down. You're pregnant and a woman. You get the seat." He said, standing there and not making any movement to sit down.

Sakura frowned at him. "Yes, but I wasn't the one that almost passed out today in the kitchen. I don't want you on your feet." She said.

Mrs. Haruno looked up at Sasuke in concern. "What happened?" She asked in a worried tone.

"Nothing." Sasuke answered quickly.

"This idiot was working and on his feet the whole day when he hadn't eaten anything and he got really dizzy." Ino explained, just to get on Sasuke's nerves. He glared at her. "Sakura has been forcing him to rest all day but he's stubborn and hates to admit that he needs it." She added to anger him more even more.

Mrs. Haruno suddenly jumped up. "Here, you can have my seat. I'm fine with standing." She said, gesturing toward her seat.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "No, that's okay. You're my guest and really, I am fine." He said, trying to get her to sit back done. He didn't want her to have to stand because of him. And plus, she was seated next to Mr. Haruno and he really didn't want to do that.

"But, you're weak." She protested.

Naruto laughed. "Why don't we just move this into the kitchen and eat. I'm starving." He suggested to save his friend and everyone quickly agreed.

"Yeah! Food!" Naruto yelled, practically running to the kitchen.

"Oh please, you act as if this is your first meal you had in weeks." Sakura said, holding him back as they calmly walked.

xOx

Dinner progressed easily with Mrs. Haruno, Sakura and the two blondes chatting freely for the most part. Sasuke was dragged into the conversation a few times but he most just tended to the children in between bites of his own food. Mr. Haruno said very little the entire time, mostly staring at his plate and refusing to even look in Sasuke's direction.

Sakura smiled at took a bite of her food, looking over to Sasuke's almost full plate. He was leaning over and cutting Seto's food for him into smaller pieces. Once he was done, he immediately turned to see how Mikoto was doing with her cereal. She was at the stage where she could feed herself little bits of food and Cheerios where the best thing at the moment. Sakura sighed. "Sasuke, can you take a break from working and eat your food." She said, drawing everyone's attention to him.

Sasuke looked at her, and then the heads that had turned in his direction and obliged. Sakura smiled and reached to grab his hand. Giving his hand a quick squeeze, she gently pulled his hand up and kissed it before letting go so he could eat. Sasuke smirked at her, making a mental note to kiss her later. He didn't want to in front of her parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Haruno caught the interaction, both having different reactions. Mrs. Haruno brought her hands over her lips and tried with everything she could not to swoon over them. Mr. Haruno on the other hand, paled and tried his hardest not to glare at the criminal that impregnated his innocent daughter.

Dinner progressed easily again for awhile longer before the four that knew started to get a little anxious. Ino looked at Sakura and shared a looked, telling each other that now would be the best time. Sakura nodded once and then gripped Sasuke's hand in hers. He looked up at her and they shared a similar look between them before Sasuke nodded.

Sakura cleared her throat and gained everyone's attention. "Mom, you wouldn't happen to have anything planned for next spring, would you?" She asked innocently.

Mrs. Haruno looked at her strangely. She took Sasuke's and Sakura's likened hands into consideration along with the excited edge to Sakura's tone and knew something was up. "No, why?" She asked, glancing between the two.

Sakura glanced quickly at Sasuke and then back at her mother. "Good, keep it open because we haven't picked a day yet." She said, glancing excitedly at Sasuke again.

Mr. Haruno sat up straighter in his seat. "A date? For what?"

Sakura smiled at him and then looked at both her parents. She had planned out a exactly what she was going to tell her parents but now, as she sat in front of them, she was dieing. Her bright smile took up her entire face and she was practically bouncing in her seat. Suddenly just losing control, she threw her left hand out and squealed slightly. "I'm getting married!"

Sasuke smirked at her antics, knowing she got so excited and jumped the gun. He shook his head slightly and squeezed her hand.

Mrs. Haruno, stood froze for a quickest second and then she melted into her happiness. She stood up and rushed to her daughter's side and gave her a large hug. "Oh my God! My Baby! Oh, I'm so happy for you!" She chanted repeatedly as they hugged.

When she left go, instead of examining the ring like everyone thought she would, she turned and pulled Sasuke out of his seat. With wide eyes and slight fear inside him, he felt little arms wrap around him tightly. "Oh! Welcome to the family! Oh, I finally have a son!" she said, much to Sasuke's shock. He never expected anything like this to happen.

She held onto him for longer than he was comfortable with and then pulled away, only to reach up and grab his face between her hands. She pulled him down slightly and gently kissed his forehead, completely scaring the crap out of Sasuke. He never expected anyone to do that to him when he didn't really know them all that well. And when they knew him, they knew that he wasn't the kind of person that liked that. The only person he ever wanted to kiss him was Sakura. Definitely not her mother.

Mrs. Haruno let go quickly and turned to Sakura again, pulling her into another hug before she examined the ring. She gawked at it in disbelief. "It was Sasuke's mother's ring." Sakura explained.

Mrs. Haruno glanced at Sasuke quickly and then back at the ring. "Well no wonder this thing is so beautiful." She said.

Ino quickly joined the girls in chatting about the ring happily. Naruto just laughed and watched as they squealed and swooned. He would never fully understand women.

Sasuke, much to Naruto's enjoyment, was extremely uncomfortable when Mrs. Haruno kept turning around and placing her hand on his arms, the other on her heart and looking at him strangely. Sasuke quickly stepped away when she turned to the ring again and pulled Seto into his arms. Seto looked at him funny, not getting what was going on. "Daddy, what's going on?"

Sasuke smiled slightly. "Nothing. They're just excited that Mommy and Daddy are getting married." He said, missing the way that Mr. Haruno's head snapped up at him when he said mommy.

Seto looked at him oddly. "What's married?"

Sasuke smirked. "It's when two people love eat other very much and decided that they want to be together forever. They get married to show this love." He said.

Seto nodded. "Can I get married too!?" He asked excitedly.

Sasuke chuckled. "Someday you will." He said, kissing his forehead.

The sound of a chair nosily scrapping against the floor sounded in the room and drew everyone's attention. Mr. Haruno stood, his face marred with an unusual expression. He was perfectly silently, and completely stiff. Sasuke held his breath for the attack that was about to come.

But it never did.

His daughter, his sweet innocent, strong daughter, was pregnant. That was hard enough for him to take since she was barely even eighteen. But now she was getting married next year and already had her now _fiancés' _kid calling her 'mommy'. It was too much to take.

Everyone watched as Mr. Haruno paled and his eyes roll into the back of his head. With silent horror, they watched as he stiffly just fell backwards. It took a long moment for anyone to register what just happened. Mr. Haruno, strong and stubborn, just fainted.

"Oh My God!"

"Whoa!"

"Daddy!"

* * *

**Well tell me what you think. Cause i like hearing from you. So you do that and i'm going to go to bed.**

**Oh, and still looking for suggestions on the band names.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hello. Who's on an updating roll? I AM! lol. It's cause it's summer and i'm trying my hardest to push them out. I have to go get registered for school again on the 20th and then school with start again soon after in the beginning of September. So i will try to get as many chapters out before school starts.**

**So this chapter is dedicated to two people: **fdty **and ****. Cause they are cool. Now, you may ask 'what can i do to be cool and get the chapter dedicated to me?' Well there's a smiple way to do that. Ready, this is a really big secret and i'm only going to share it with some very speical people, so listen up. You can be cool and and a dedication by. . . . .(drumroll, please.) . . . . leaving a review with a band name. i would like a wide variety to choose from and right now i have five possiblites.**

**Well, thank you to all that reviewed. I hope you enjoy this.**

* * *

When Mr. Haruno regained consciousness, he was completely alone in the living, or so he thought. After taking a moment to recollect himself, he heard something from behind his view on the couch. Quickly jumped to his feet, he whirled around only to see Sasuke pulled something out of a cabinet. It was a book of some sort and this fact made him relax slightly.

Sasuke looked at him and then calmly closed the little cabinet. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Why do you care?" Mr. Haruno asked in a gruff tone that caught Sasuke off guard.

It was quiet for a long time, as Sasuke stared at the photo album in his hand that the women had sent him in here to get. "Just trying to be nice. . ." Sasuke trailed off after a moment.

"Well I don't want you to be nice to me. I don't even want you near me or my family." Mr. Haruno said, sitting back down and rubbing his head.

Sasuke stared at him for a long moment. "You don't like me." he stated causing the other man to snort.

"No kidding." he said, staring at the ceiling. "You are a criminal with two kids when you are only eighteen. Now you impregnated my baby, my pride and joy, and now are getting married to her. Yes, I don't like you." he said.

Sasuke stared at the ground and gripped the book tighter in his hand. "They're not technically mine."

The older man looked at him strangely. "What?"

"They are technically my niece and nephew and not my kids. I took them in at a young age when my brother was unable to and his woman was too selfish to do so."

Mr. Haruno stared at him in disbelief. "They're not yours?"

"Not exactly. But I took in Seto when he was one and I took in Mikoto when she was two months. They know me as their father and I see them as my kids."

Mr. Haruno just stared, his face carefully blank. Sasuke smirked bitterly. "So yes, I do have two children at a young age. And most people do view me as a criminal and well, maybe I am. I've made some dumbass moves in my life, but I don't regret them now. Because they got me where I am today so I don't really care what people think of me.

"And yes, Sakura is pregnant with my child and we are getting married. Most people will not like this, but again, I don't care. I'm happy, Sakura's happy, and my family is happy. If someone doesn't like that, then they are just going to have to deal with that. I want to be selfish and , just once, have things go my way and not end up disastrously. I've found what can make that happen and I don't want to let go." he said, not looking at the man that would soon be his father-in-law. After a moment, he finally looked up, his face betraying nothing. "I hope you feel better soon." he said and walked into the kitchen, leaving a speechless man behind.

Everyone turned towards Sasuke when he entered and Ino looked at him impatiently. "Geez, what took you so long? Did you get lost?" she asked.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "The book wasn't in the spot I thought it was in." he lied and then handed it to Mrs. Haruno. He walked behind Sakura and planted a kiss on her forehead before turned and heading over to Seto and Naruto by the counter. They were just trying to stay out of girl time.

The women had pictures spread out everywhere on the table, and were going through them looking for pictures of Sasuke's parents' wedding. The task was rather daunting to do because it turned out that Grandma Mikoto loved to take pictures. There was pictures of Sasuke and Itachi growing up, when her and Fugaku were newlyweds, when they were dating, when they were both little, many family members and a lot of scenery pictures.

Another thing about Grandma Mikoto was that she had no organization skills when it came to grouping the pictures. They were not divided into years, or even my subject of picture. They were all thrown in a box that Sasuke had pulled out in piles of random pictures.

Sasuke watched as they 'oo'ed and 'aw'ed at the many pictures and just sighed. He also noticed that Mrs. Haruno was piling up pictures that she liked. Though he didn't see which one's she piled them up and at the end of the night, rubber band them together and walked out the door with them. When Sasuke asked Sakura about them later, she just said that her mom wanted to make something with them and that he would get them back later.

He didn't press the subject.

The next morning, to Sasuke's surprise, there was a knock on the door early in the morning. And when he opened the door he was greeted with Mrs. Haruno, Hinata, and Tenten. He quickly invited them in; extremely aware of the fact the only thing on his upper body was an unzipped hoodie. They went straight to the kitchen, Tenten grabbing a cup of coffee while Hinata and the mother went to the table. Sasuke just looked at them in confusion, wondering why all these women were invading his house.

Sakura and Ino quickly bounded down the stairs, both already dressed. Ino grabbed a cup of coffee to go while Sakura greeted Sasuke. She smiled. "Good morning, Babe" she said, kissing him gently on lips. She went to walk away but Sasuke grabbed her and pulled her close again. Resting his forehead against hers, he kissed her one more time before questioning her.

"What's going on?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you yesterday. I'm going shopping with all the girls today." She said.

"A warning would have been nice." he said.

She shrugged her shoulders. "You were already down stairs when I woke up. If you had just stayed in bed for awhile longer I would have told you."

He made a face and then kissed her again before releasing her. She grabbed a bottle of orange juice and then grabbed her bag. "Okay, we are going to get going. Try not to over work yourself. Eat breakfast, don't drink more than two cups of coffee today and make sure Naruto doesn't break anything." She said, giving him a kiss as she headed for the door.

"Okay mom." he drawled.

Sakura stuck out her tongue at him and opened the door, only to be greeted by Akina. Just getting home, Akina looked at the line of women that walked past, all of them greeting her kindly on their way out. She took one look at the women walking away and then at Sasuke and frowned. "I don't even want to know." she muttered and pushed past Sasuke, forgetting her shoes again.

"Thanks for coming to dinner last night." Sasuke called sarcastically over his shoulder.

"Whatever." She called back before disappearing upstairs.

xOx

The girls spent most of the day out shopping. They had been in a variety of stores, from weapons to clothes to wedding stores. They took a brief break for lunch at a café and then they were shopping again. And although Sakura really didn't want to, they dragged her along anyways into a maternity shop.

"Don't drag your feet. You're going to be getting bigger and there's no way you will be able to fit your stomach into your skintight tank tops." Tenten mocked.

Sakura made a face, but went along anyways. She knew Tenten was right and she figured that it was best to get it over with as soon as she could. When they walked into the store it was completely empty except for the workers. This comforted her at bit, not wanting to deal with a ton of villagers in a maternity shop. It would only cause talk and right now, they all didn't need it.

They all started out in one large group but quickly dispersed around the store. Before long, they all met up again with at least three items each in their hands and insisted that Sakura try them on. Sakura shook her head. "They won't even fit right now." she said, but the girls weren't having it.

"That's what those fake strap-on bellies are for silly." Her mother said, before Ino pushed her into one of the dressing stalls. Ino stepped in as well, to help her. Sakura stripped herself of her shirt, so she was only in her bra and Ino helped her strap on the fake belly. Sakura looked at herself in the mirror.

"I look and feel ridiculous." she stated.

Ino giggled. "This is going to take some getting used to." she said, examining her friend with a big belly. "Hey, can you see your feet?"

Sakura glared at her. "Just shut up and hand me the stupid shirt."

Once dressed in a cute red shirt that fit nicely on the stomach, Sakura and Ino stepped out to show the rest of the girls. She all exclaimed how cute she looked, her mother even tearing up a bit. Sakura saw this and went to her side. "Oh, mom, don't cry." she said.

Mrs. Haruno sniffed. "I'm sorry, I just can't get over the fact that my baby is growing up and having a baby of her own."

"Oh, mom." Sakura said, pulling her mother into a hug and getting annoyed at the stomach was in the way. She grimaced and pulled away, muttering curse words as she tried to shift the belly into a more comfortable position. The girls laughed at her before pushing her back into the stall to change again.

But when Sakura stepped out again to show the girls, she noticed that middle-aged woman had stepped into the store and was now staring at her. Sakura tried to ignore her at first, but she felt her stare on her the entire time she was twirling in front of her friends. And right before went back into the stall to try on another one the women rushed out of the store.

Sakura heaved a sigh of relief that the extra audience member was gone and she pulled on another shirt. When she stepped out through, she noticed that the woman was now coming in again. . . . but with a friend. Sakura ignored this and tried to focus on her friends, but the piercing stares of the two women felt like it was burning holes threw her whole body. She gratefully retreated back into the stall.

But when she stepped back out, another had joined the two women and they were all staring at her. Sakura immediately directed her eyes away from the group and looked down at her shirt. She listened to her friends thoughts about it and then quickly ran back into the stall.

It happened again and again. Each time she came out, there were more. Some had the decency to at least pretend they weren't staring and we actually shopping while others just stood in the back ground, full on staring. She tried to ignore it, tried not to notice how they gossiped, and tired not to seem affected by them. But when her and Ino retreated into the stall, she broke down.

A rush of emotions hit her, and she cursed her hormones as she sat down on the chair inside the stall and tried to hide her tears. But Ino, her best friend, noticed and bent down in front of her. "Sakura, what's wrong?" she asked, rubbing her back in a supporting manner.

Sakura didn't answer back right away, her tears making her unable to. But after a few minutes of the nonstop waterworks, they began to slow enough to speak. "All those people out there. They are all staring and talking and I hate it! Why can't they just leave me and my family alone!?" Sakura said, suddenly angry. She wiped her tear away, though more came, and angrily shifted the stomach again. "And this thing is uncomfortable! I don't think I want to be pregnant if this is how it is going to feel!"

Ino snorted at the last part and hugged her. "Well, you kind of don't have a choice." she said.

Sakura pouted and was quiet for a long moment before fussing with the stomach again. "And it itches. What the hell is this thing make out of? Couldn't they make it out of a better fabric?" she aid, trying to itch her skin underneath.

Ino smiled at her. "I don't think your stomach will itch like this one. So I think you will be fine."

Sakura sniffed, her tears finally stopping. "Whatever."

Ino stood up and smiled at her. "I'll be back." she said, before disappearing. Moments later, Sakura heard Ino yelling at the many people that were watching. Sakura smiled and laughed as she grabbed a tissue out of Ino's bag and wiped her face. She loved Ino so much.

xOx

Sasuke and Naruto sat around the kitchen table, waiting for Neji to get there. Sasuke and Neji had to go over more plans for the police department and Naruto wanted to see what they had planned. Naruto thought it was a great idea and wanted to help in any way he could. So, Sasuke grudgingly allowed him to stay for the meeting as long as he promised not to ruin anything.

Sasuke looked down by his chair at Seto. He was sitting on the ground playing with his hamster. His daycare had a pet hamster named Bobo and Seto had wanted to take him home. So with the permission of Sasuke, Sakura and the ladies of the daycare, Seto brought Bobo home for the weekend.

Seto now sat with Bobo in his hands and Bobo's open cage sitting next him. Sasuke watched him carefully. "Be careful, Buddy. Make sure Bobo doesn't get away, okay?" he said.

Seto smiled back at him. "I will. I'm very careful with him." he said before turning to look at Naruto. "Do you want to hold him, Uncle Naruto?" he said after he notice how Naruto was looking at the small rodent. Naruto nodded and then slowly reached for the animal. Seto smiled and handed him over gently.

Sasuke watched Naruto play with the animal for a moment before turning to Seto. "Buddy, now that your hands are free, go pick up the toys you left in the living." he said and Seto nodded, running off.

It was silent for a moment until there was a small crash and Sasuke bolted from his seat and into the living, Naruto following after a moment. Seto stood in the living room and Sasuke rushed to his side. "What happened?" he asked calmly as he looked around.

"I knocked over the clock on accident." Seto explained just as Sasuke noticed the fallen clock.

Sasuke grabbed it and examined it. It was unbroken, still ticking. The time was a off by two minutes but that is how it had been for awhile. Sasuke breathed a sigh of relieve that Seto wasn't hurt and put the clock back on the shelf and patted Seto on the head.

He glanced at Naruto, his hands now empty. "Where's the hamster?"

Naruto shrugged. "I put him in the cage before I came out here."

Sasuke nodded in response and headed back into the kitchen. By mean chance, he glanced at the cage and froze. The cage stood in the same spot on the floor as before, but the cage door was wide open and there was no hamster in sight. Sasuke just stared at it, hoping that he was imagining it.

Naruto walked into the kitchen calmly and stared at Sasuke questioningly. "What are you doing?"

"Please- _please, please, please-_ say that you closed the cage door before you walked out and I'm imagining that there is no rodent in there."

Naruto stared at the source of Sasuke's panic and frowned. "Um. . .about that. . ." he finally said after a long moment.

Sasuke whirled and smacked Naruto in the head and then was quickly looking around for the small stupid animal. Naruto rubbed his head and got down on his hands and knees, scouring the floor. "Here, Gerbil, Gerbil." He chanted over and over again.

"It's a hamster, moron." Sasuke said, looking by the table.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I know but gerbil has a better ring to it. I can't say hamster as easily as I can say gerbil." he explained before continuing his chanting.

Sasuke growled under his breath. "Naruto, he isn't going to come out because you call him." he snapped, getting annoyed.

Naruto looked up at him. "Geez, what's got your panties in a bunch?" He said and Sasuke snapped his head in his direction, his eyes bleeding red. Naruto gulped and went back to searching for Bobo, chanting again.

There was a knock on the door and Sasuke jumped up, remembering that Neji was coming over. He quickly rushed to the door and opened it. He merely glanced at the brown haired man before him quickly before grabbing him by the shirt color and pulling him in roughly. He slammed the door closed quickly, not wanting the hamster to get out, and then whirled around and looked at the ground in the hallway. "Naruto let Seto's daycare pet lose and now we have no clue where the stupid rodent is." Sasuke explained to the man behind him.

"AH! I FOUND HIM!" They heard Naruto shout suddenly before a crash sound was heard a moment later and the sound of glass breaking. Sasuke cursed and rushed to the kitchen.

Naruto was lying on the ground, holding his face. There was a knocked over chair on the ground and a broken vase with glass shattered all over the kitchen but no hamster. Sasuke sighed, standing in the doorway. "Where's the hamster?" he asked.

Naruto groaned. "He's a tricky beast! He dove under the chair before I could get him and then escaped when I was down! This is an evil gerbil!" He exclaimed, it coming out muffled because he still held his face in his hands.

Sasuke sighed and looked at the mess of glass. Carefully, he stepped into the kitchen. When the vase fell, it shattered in such a way that some pieces were launched across the room while others lay where the vase had fell. Sasuke had to be very mindful not to step on any of the glass.

"I thought you said it was a hamster." someone said and Sasuke turned toward the kitchen doorway. Instead of Neji standing there, Mr. Haruno stood there instead, staring at the mess of the kitchen.

Sasuke mentally slapped himself, wondering how he confused Mr. Haruno with Neji. "It is a hamster but Naruto likes the word gerbil more than hamster." Sasuke explained quietly. Mr. Haruno nodded absentmindedly.

"Daddy! I put away my toys!" Seto screamed as he came running, about to enter the kitchen.

Sasuke stuck his hand up, though he was nowhere near the doorway and wouldn't be able to stop Seto from entering in time. "NO!" he shouted.

Luckily, Mr. Haruno stuck his hand in front of Seto and stopped him before he could enter the kitchen and hurt himself. Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly very thankful that the older man was there. A first time for everything, right?

"Don't come into the kitchen. Naruto broke some glass and it's all over the kitchen. Let Daddy clean it up before you come back in here." Sasuke said to Seto, who nodded and ran upstairs.

Sasuke glanced back at the older man. "Thank you." he said, turning and momentarily forgetting about the glass and taking a step. He realized what he had just done about three seconds too late and he heard a crunch under his bare foot and felt something dug into his skin.

"Shit!" He cursed and jumped up, and quickly limped out of the kitchen. He jumped over to the couch and sat down and examined his foot. There was one large piece and three smaller ones imbedded in his foot and some much smaller pieces that only stuck to his skin but didn't go in. Losing patience, Sasuke ripped them out instead of going and getting the first aid kit first and then got up to go clean the cuts. But when he was limping out of the living room, there was another knock on the door and Sasuke redirected himself to the door.

Sasuke opened it and faced Neji with a handful of files. He grabbed his collar and pulled him in roughly and slammed the door. "Stay out of the kitchen unless you want to cut your foot open." he growled out as he tried to limp to the bathroom without dripping blood everywhere. He failed miserably.

As he walked by the kitchen, a brown fur ball darted past him into the living room followed by Naruto clumsily behind it. Except Naruto wasn't counting Sasuke walking by at that moment and ended up tackling him to the ground. "Damn it, Teme! I almost had him!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke from above him. Sasuke unleashed the Uchiha death glare on him.

"Get off of me." Sasuke ground out through gritted teeth.

xOx

Sakura and the girls exited the maternity shop with bags of clothes. Once the Ino had scared away the crowd, the whole thing turned to be okay. Sakura even found that she started to have fun trying on all the clothes, even with the irritating belly. And as a joke, all of the girls tried on one of the bellies and some clothes and had one of the ladies that worked there take a picture.

They did a little more shopping after that, stopping at some baby stores-getting some baby items for Sakura and the baby- and another wedding shop and then more clothes. All in all, the girls made off with quite a lot of loot.

And as planned, they all went to go back to the Uchiha manor for dinner since Sasuke, Neji and Naruto were all supposed to be there. They waked and laughed the entire time and when they entered the house, they froze.

There were random blood stains on the ground and a broken lamp and the small table by the stairs was broken along with the vase of flowers and clock that had been resting on it in the hall. When they stepped forward and looked into the living room, they saw destruction in there. The couch had been flipped and the coffee table was now just broken wood and everything that was on it was scattered on the ground. Everything was out of place or broken and it looked like someone had broken in.

"Sasuke?" Sakura called nervously.

She reserved no answer and first so she called again, this time much louder. After a moment they heard footsteps from above them and before they knew it the boys were coming down the stairs, even Mr. Ahruno surprising them all by his presence. They girls just stared at the state they were in.

Both Sasuke, Neji and Naruto were covered in cuts and bruises. Sasuke had a bloody dishcloth wrapped around his foot and both Neji and Naruto had a lump on their heads. Mr. Haruno was the least damaged of them all, somehow managing to only get a few cuts on his hands.

"What happened?" Ino exclaimed as she looked at the state of the house and the boys. "Did you decide to train in the house?"

Neji shook his head. "No, Naruto let Seto's hamster lose and we spent the entire day looking for him." he explained.

"Well that explains the mess, but why are you all hurt?" Tenten asked.

The boys all exchanged a look but it was Mr. Haruno that spoke. "You wouldn't believe how graceful these guys can be when they are chasing after a hamster." he stated while all three boys glared at him.

The girls just stared at them questioningly, but he boys ignored them. "Hey, I'm very graceful. It's Naruto that ruined everything." Sasuke said, trying to defend himself.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted in protest.

Mr. Haruno chuckled. "You were all graceful today. My favorite part was when you feel down the stairs." he said, smiling.

The girls stared at them with blank expressions. "You feel down the stairs?" Mrs. Haruno drawled.

Her husband nodded. "We were upstairs and Naruto dove to catch Bobo but missed. He just happened to be too close to the stairs and started to go down, so he grabbed on to Sasuke's foot. When Sasuke started to go down, he grabbed onto Neji to steady them but he ended up going down with them both. They tumbled down the stirs and hit the table by the stairs and broke that, the vase and the clock on it. They were just a mess of broken wood, glass and limb at the bottom of the stairs. The funniest thing I've seen in years." he said, laughing again.

"It wasn't funny." Neji protested, glared at him.

Naruto chuckled a little. "Falling wasn't, but when the clock landed on your head it was hilarious." he said and then ducked when Neji swung at him.

Sakura sweat dropped. "Okay, okay. Enough you two. Geez, it sounds like you guys had quiet a day. Come on, let me get you all cleaned up." She said, sitting them down at the base of the stairs to heal them. "What am I going to do to with you all?"

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**So? Poop? Gold? She i continue or keep my day job? (LOL. . .J/K i wouldn't quit the story on you guys.) Tell me what you think.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Sorry, slow update. I've been really busy and suffering from writer's block. Which is why this chapter sucks so bad. But whatever, it happens sometimes.**

**This chapter is for** FanFicGirl22**, **smiley-face-central**, **Annabelinda**, **VeryBoredSoul**, and **xXCronkersXx** cause they are awesome and suggested names for the band. So thank you. If i mixed someone up (like they reviewed awhile and i never mentioned it or something) or missed someone i'm sorry. I'm only human. Remind me and i will be sure to thank you the next chapter.**

**well i'm just going to just get right to it. oh, i do want to say one thing though. Well, **xXxMiss'TeasexXx** in your review you asked if i ever slept and i like tea too much. As a matter of fact, i do not sleep. lol. I've simply given it up because i found it was quite a nuisance. lol. jk. and there is nothing wrong with liking tea! lol.**

**Well enjoy.**

**oh p.s. happy brithday sunshine. i hope you are having a fun time with your girlfriend.**

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Sakura happily stepped out of the shower. Her day was already shaping up to be a good one, even though it was only five something in the morning. She wrapped a towel around her body and wiped the stream off the bathroom mirror. Looking at her appearance in the mirror, she brushed her wet tangled mass of hair until it was free of any tangles and perfectly in place.

It was an early June morning and Sakura felt better than she has in months. Now in her fourth month, she was out of her first trimester. Which meant less morning sickness, which Sakura was extremely grateful for. It had been awhile since she was able to wake up in the morning without at least feeling a little sick. But this morning, she woke up feeling great.

And to add to her great day, she woke up next to Sasuke. Since his depression, his sleeping habits have been extremely funky. Most days she would wake up and she would be alone and she would hear him already moving around down stairs. But today, she awoke and turned over to stretch and smacked Sasuke in the face. It surprised her and he was even still in bed and it surprised her more when she realized she had woke him up.

"You slept in?" she asked in a confused tone while he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Why did you hit me?" he asked in a groggy tone, ignoring her question.

She blinked but showed no sign of remorse on her face. "I didn't know you were there. Your never in bed when I wake up." she explained and then reached up to kiss him.

He smirked and kissed her back. Sakura laid in bed staring up at Sasuke's peaceful face as he slipped back into sleep. She smiled, glad that he was finally resting and then got up to shower.

She know stood in the bathroom, still wrapped in a towel and was putting lotion on. So with the excitement of Sasuke resting, and her feeling good, she always was excited for today. Since the hamster incident, (Who was now safely back at the daycare. After returning him, Sasuke exclaimed no more pets for awhile. He wasn't a pet person and something always went wrong in their house.) her father seemed to like Sasuke a bit more. He no longer attacked Sasuke in anyway or had actually started to come over to the house more often.

Most days if her parents came over, her mother would spend time with her and Ino. They did a variety of thing from telling stories to going over wedding plans or pregnancy things. Her mother seemed to be extremely excited about both the wedding and the baby. And even though Sakura keeps telling her mother that they have plenty of time, she mother has engulfed herself into planning every detail of this wedding. She has the idea of combining aspects of Sasuke's parent's wedding with her's and Mr. Haruno's wedding, plus a little bit of every girls dream wedding. And by the sounds of it all so far, it is going to e the wedding of the century.

And while Sakura is with her mother, most of the time Sasuke was with her father, Seto and Naruto. Sasuke has said that they usually all just hang out. Sometimes they train or play with Seto, or just relax at the ramen shop or at home. A few times, Neji had come over and they all had sat down to go over plans for the department. Her father has had a lot of experience with the police department. He used to work there before the accident. So, given that information, Neji and Sasuke have both been very grateful for all his help.

But today, Sakura had made plans to go out to lunch with her family. It was going to be a nice day out for all of them. Her mother had suggested it. She thought that it would be a good idea to just go out and have a relaxing lunch. Sasuke and Sakura quickly agreed, finding the idea pleasant as well. But Akina happened to be in the kitchen at the time that her mother suggested it and quickly invited her.

Though Sakura didn't know for sure if Akina was going to join them, she kind of hoped she wouldn't. It has been awkward in the house with her. Now that Sakura knew Akina's true feelings about her, they had both been avoiding each other. Unfortunately, after Sasuke told Akina everything, she had reverted to acting like a teenager. Every chance she got to insult Sasuke and poke fun at something, she quickly took.

Sakura found it completely immature. This woman was an adult. As a twenty-three year old woman, she should at least have enough maturity to deal with jealousy. But instead of handling the situation in even the slightest degree it should have been dealt with, she decided to attack Sasuke. She was acting like a rebellious daughter and Sasuke was the controlling father. The whole thing was pathetic.

Sakura shook her head, dispersing the thoughts and shoving them into the back of her mind. She wasn't going to let Akina ruin her good day. She smiled at her reflection and fixed a stray hair. But then she decided that it looked too neat and tousled her wet hair softly.

She walked out of the bathroom, looking at the bed to see that Sasuke was still in bed. She smiled happily and went to the dresser to retrieve some clothes so she could get out of her wet towel. She grabbed her a pair of matching bright green and blue bra and underwear and pulled that over her body. Grabbing a pair of green, blue and grey knee-high socks she sat down at the edge of the bed to pull them on.

But as she was about to get back up to find actual clothes, she felt an arm snake around her waist and pull her down onto the bed. She giggled as Sasuke planted feather light kisses on every part of her body that he could reach. She playfully hit him as his kisses tickled her skin.

He finally stopped, holding her in his arms and looking into her eyes. He leaned down and kissed her gently. "Good morning, love." he whispered against her lips.

She smiled against his lips. "Good morning, babe."

They were still for a long moment, gently kissing each other. With a sudden burst of energy, Sakura managed to pull herself out of Sasuke's grip and sat on top of him. He looked at her strangely but she just smiled coyly. She then leaned down and pressed her lips to his stomach. He shivered underneath her as she began to trail kiss up toward his face.

His back arched automatically as her kisses sent waves of pleasure through his body. She was at his collar bone, gently sucking on the skin now. He bit his lip and trailed his fingers up her thigh, stopping at her underwear. He felt her smile into his skin as he fingered the fabric of her thin underwear.

She moved away from his collarbone, a dark hickey on his pale skin, and moved up to his neck. Sasuke tilted his head to give her more access as he slid his hands to her still flat stomach.

Eventually, she worked her way up to farther. She planted kisses along his jaw line, coming to his ear. "Do you know what I just thought of?" she asked in a low voice in his ear.

Sasuke hummed in responds, kissing her shoulder. He shivered again as her warm breath fanned out on his ear and her lips brushing against the shell of his ear. "Do you know what sounds so good right now?" she whispered into his ear.

He grunted in response, finding it difficult to really focus on anything.

"Waffles with peanut butter." she whispered into his ear, followed by a moments pause.

Sasuke tensed for a moment and then sighed. He closed his eyes and just sagged deeper into the bed, his back straight again. He dropped his hands from their position-one on her hip while the other was fingering her bra strap- and ran his hand through his hair. Sakura sat up and looked at him in confusion. "What?" she asked as she noticed the slightly disappointed look on his face.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Nothing, love. It's nothing." He said, his eyes still closed.

She continued to stare at him. "No, something's wrong. What did I miss?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Nothing, love. But if you want those waffles you're going to have to get up so that I can go make them." He said, already sitting up and gently pushing her aside.

She pouted as Sasuke pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. He glanced at her over his shoulder looking very comical in her bright undergarments and knee-high socks pouting like a child that didn't get her way. He chuckled and crawled back onto the bed to give her a kiss. She kept her arms crossed over her chest the entire time but kissed him back eagerly.

He pulled away but pressed his forehead against her. "I will continue to pout unless you tell me." Sakura stated.

Sasuke smirked. "What if I take one of those brownie and put peanut butter on it for you?" he asked in a calm voice, in no way effected by her putting.

Her face lit up and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Pouting has left the building." she said, kissing him no more time before letting him go.

He chuckled and made his way down stairs while she rushed to get some clothes on. Sasuke lazily stretched his arms above his head. He had this overwhelming feeling that he was bound to get a headache sometime today. He dreaded what the day would bring him.

The day was already starting off bad. After getting into another fight with Akina about nothing at three in the morning, he had dragged his feet up the stairs and up to bed. He got two peaceful hours before being violently awaken by a smack to the face only to be accused of sleeping in when in all reality he didn't get much sleep at all. And while she was taking her shower, he tried to fall asleep but was unable to so he just laid there with his eyes closed in hopes that he would fall asleep. It didn't work. And to add to it, she got was getting him excited and he was really thought that something was going to happen only to be let down.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Today was going to suck.

xOx

Sakura locked the door behind them and then turned to the group and smiled, signaling for them to go. Her parents and they were now on there way to lunch. Sasuke held Seto in his arms while Ino, who had dropped by and decided to join them, passed Mikoto into Sakura's arms. And surprisingly, Akina had decided to join them too even though she has been fighting with Sasuke and ignoring Sakura.

A nice easy conversation flowed through most of the group. Akina kept mostly to herself, only commenting when there was no way to avoid it when Mrs. Haruno addressed her. But other than that, everything flowed nicely. They were walking to the restaurant at a even pace.

They reached the main street and the population became more crowded. But for some reason, the streets cleared for the large group. As they walked by people would move off to the side and then stop and stare. Men glared and women stood in clusters and whispered quietly to each other. Sakura frowned at this and focused on the child in her arms. After a moment she felt a slender arm wrap around her shoulders and turned to see her mother smiling comfortingly at her. She smiled bad.

Mr. Haruno eyed the people around him. They all glared at Sasuke and stared in wonder and disbelief at Sakura. They have all made up their minds to hate Sasuke and now are wondering if Sakura was really with him and if she was really pregnant. He glance at his daughter and say who she hated the stares. He felt an overwhelming need to protect her. But he knew he wouldn't be able to this time.

He looked to Sasuke now. He was walking in front of everyone and staring straight ahead. He seemed to be the picture of ease, not caring that everyone hated him. It made the older man wonder how a teenager could ever get used to everyone hating his guts.

Mr. Haruno tensed when he saw a group of males stand in front of them a little ahead. Sasuke kept cool and continued walking until he was directly in front of them. He glanced at them briefly before trying to go around only to be blocked. Mr. Haruno stood a little behind Sasuke with the rest of the group behind him. Sakura tried to go to Sasuke's side but the older man stuck out his hand and stopped his daughter. He had a bad feeling about this and he didn't want his daughter up there.

Sasuke sighed and looked at the men in front of him. After a moment he tried to go around them again and was blocked again. He kept a blank face as he glanced at Seto in his arms to make sure he was okay. The small boy seemed confused but otherwise was fine.

"Is it true that you seduced cherry over there?" One of the men in front of him asked in a gruff voice.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Cherry? You're kidding me, right?"

The man glared. "Shut up! Is it true or not?" he shouted as the other men stepped closer to Sasuke.

Sasuke eyed them quickly and then turned his attention back to the male that spoke. "Let me pass." he demanded in an even tone.

The man chuckled. "You better watch your mouth, Uchiha. You don't know who you are dealing with. Now answer my question. Did you seduce Sakura Haruno?" he said, getting into Sasuke's face.

Sasuke paid him no mind. Instead he was looking at Seto. When the man got into Sasuke's face it began clear that he wasn't there for any good reason. Seto now had a scared look on his face as he stared at the man that was so close to the both of them. In a panic, Seto stuck out his hand to try and push the man away from his father.

The man jumped slightly and then turned his attention to Seto. He glared and lifted his hand- to try to strike him or simply push his hand away, Sasuke wasn't sure but he acted- and Sasuke quickly put Seto down and push him behind him protectively. He calm face that he had held for the entire thing was now replaced by a glared.

The man seemed to be slightly alarmed but quickly turned his attention back to the matter at hand. "I demand that you tell me." he said.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes a bit more. "You may demand it but you have no power over me. Whatever I do is none of your damn business and it would be wise to leave me and my family alone." he said in an eerily calm voice.

The man snorted and looked at his friends in disbelief before turning back to Sasuke. He went to lean in closer but suddenly froze. In that moment Sasuke let out a wave of his massive chakra and he let some color bleed into his eyes- it wasn't the normal crimson red but more of a maroon so that he was on the verge of activating his Sharigan. Sasuke was sick of this already and wasn't messing around anymore.

The man sensed this and changed his mind, leaning away slightly. But since everyone was staring, he couldn't completely back down. He glared and then suddenly spit in Sasuke's face, causing him to tense and close his eyes. Everything was still as everyone watched to see if Sasuke would do anything in response. As the seconds ticked and the Sasuke made no move, the man smiled. "Stupid Uchiha scum."

Sasuke stood completely still, like a statue more than anything. The man smiled and motioned for his friends to move on. They all laughed and pushed past Sasuke, bumping him as they did. But he still made no movement. The man smiled and leaned in one last time. "You mean nothing to this village. You are just a traitor that the Hokage forgave. But we aren't so forgiving. You will always be nothing but a waste of space. You and your family is a shame to Konoha. You better watch your back." he whispered to him so that only he could hear.

Sasuke finally opened his eyes and looked at the man in front of him with an uncaring face. "Do you actually think you scare me?"

The man glared but Sasuke smirked. He turned and pulled Seto back into his arms and started to walk away. "Pathetic." he said loud enough for the man to hear.

The man whirled around and glared. "What was that? Do you want to go, Uchiha?"

Sasuke snorted as he walked away at a slow even pace. "Don't waste my time." he said, now a good distance away. The rest of the group glanced at the man, as he stood and stared at Sasuke's back in a angry fashion, as they walked by him to catch up with the young father.

"HORN DOG!" the man shouted. Sasuke chuckled and resisted the urge to flip him off.

Sasuke made it to the restaurant first and was quickly seated in a more secluded area per his request. The rest of the group arrived quickly and saw that Sasuke was already seated and was now wiping hid face with a napkin. Sakura rushed to his side. "Are you okay?" she asked in concern.

Sasuke just looked at her calmly. "Yeah I'm fine."

"How can you be so calm after that?" she asked in disbelief.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, I just am. I've honestly was waiting for something like this to happen."

"What?" both Ino and Sakura asked at the same time.

Sasuke glanced between them and shrugged again. "People don't like me and they you are the Cherry Blossom of Konoha, people love you. I knew someone was going to react badly to this and say something to me."

Sakura examined him and his relaxed state. "And you're okay with that?"

Sasuke sighed. "I really don't care what people think. As long as they don't try to mess with my family I don't really care what they do or say about me."

"That's very honorable." Mr. Haruno suddenly said. Sasuke looked at him and nodded slightly, muttering something about maybe. The older man held this but decided not to comment.

"Damn. You Uchiha boys are just loved where ever you go, don't you." Akina said suddenly in a sarcastic tone from across the table.

Sasuke turned to her, amazed that she was even bothering to talk to him. "Yeah. My brother and I have always been so popular with people." he said after a moment with a roll of the eyes.

She giggled slightly in response and then looked back at Sasuke. "You know, I'm always up for getting attention but this is just getting out of hand."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Too much attention? I don't get it."

She smiled weakly. "I was thinking that it was time that I get out of your hair. Konoha is just way busy for me and your house is just so crazy. You live a crazy life and I just need to go back to where I fit."

"And that is where?" Sakura asked but then froze, thinking better of getting into her business.

Akina looked at her and smiled weakly. "With Itachi."

Shock marred Sasuke's face as well as others at the table (cougheveryonebesidesthekidscough). "Itachi?"

She nodded. "After seeing you so happy with your fiancé I realized that it was time that I go and talk to Itachi. I want a relationship as well and he's the only one that I want."

Sasuke nodded. He doubted that Itachi would actually do such a thing but he understood what Akina wanted. He glanced at Sakura and grabbed her hand, kissing it gently and then giving it a squeeze. She smiled in responds and squeezed his and as well.

"Now that it is all settled that I will be leaving, we just need to settle one more matter." Akina said suddenly with energy.

Sasuke eyed her suspiciously. "What?"

"Money."

Sasuke slumped forward and laid his head on the table and groaned. Akina pouted. "Hey, in my defense, I have been working to get some of my own money but I just need a little more to get me going."

Sasuke glanced at her. "You worked?"

Ino nodded. "Yeah, I convinced my parents to let her pull the night shift at the flower shop. She mostly just worked in the back and restocked shelves and such."

"Yup. But it was still hard for me so you should be at least a little grateful that I tried to earn my own money instead of just taking all of it from you." Akina said.

Sasuke looked at her incredulously. "And all of this before we even ordered our food." he said, shaking his head. "Fine. Whatever. I'll give you some money. Now let's order, I'm starving."

Everyone nodded in agreement and looked through the menu. They ordered and were served quickly. Before long the conversation had evolved to wedding plans yet again. Mrs. Haruno, Sakura and Ino chatted animatedly about the wedding while Seto had roped Mr. Haruno into a conversation. Akina leaned across the table. "Psst." she whispered to Sasuke.

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and gave her a look to continue. She smiled sheepishly. "You would understand if I told you that I wanted to save as much of my money as I can, right?" she asked and received a nod. She smiled and continued. "Do you think you could cover my part of the bill then?" she asked innocently.

"Do you have enough to pay for it with you?"

She nodded timidly. "Well, technically, yes."

"Then, no." he said, causing her to pout, which he ignored and continued eating.

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** I hate it. I don't really feel like commenting on such a crappy chapter. **

**Reviews would be nice but i understand if it was just so crappy that words will not form. Sorry.**

**Bye. (i'm in a funky mood)**


	31. Chapter 31

**Well hello you wonderful people. How are you all going today. Maybe a bit better cause i updated?**

**I was actually planning to update sooner but my mom and sister have been addiced to the farming town thing on facebook and have been hogging the computers for awhile. Like literally my sister sat that the computer for the whole day with my mom right next to her on her laptop. So i haven't been able to get on and write. Very sad. I woke up early today and while my sister was sleeping and my mom was at work, i took over a computer. I have hogged the computer all day and started this chapter today and finished it as well. I haven't even checked my mail yet. But i actually don't think i will today. i've spent too long at the computer today and i just want to go upstairs and relax.**

**Well enjoy.**

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Sasuke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He stood outside of the daycare always from the other parents under a tree. He yawned and moved back and sat down, leaning his back against the tree. He really needed more sleep.

Akina had left and the house was settling into the old pattern again. Naruto started to stay in the guest room again instead of the couch and there wasn't any awkwardness in the house anymore. Sasuke still overworked himself but that in itself was becoming more of a normal thing.

Sakura's fourth month came and went and she was now in her fifth month. While in her fourth month she started to show in her lower stomach. Fortunately she was able to conceal it by wearing baggy shirts. But now in her fifth month the bump was not so easily concealed. She started to gain weight in her fourth month and has been gradually gaining more and more. Sakura has had a few ultrasounds and the baby seems to be growing perfectly fine. All seems well, much to both of their relief.

The doors opened and the kids came rushing out. Seto spotted his father right away and quickly rushed o his side, engulfing his sitting form in a hug. Sasuke smiled softly and pulled the child into his arms and stood up. Seto chatted about his day as Sasuke made his way through the crowd of little children and parents.

Sasuke glanced to his side and noticed that there was a woman staring at him. She was a bit younger than the rest of the adults there but still not as young as him. She didn't have a hostile stare or in anyway hurtful. It was more of a curious stare. She had a little boy next to her pointing over at him and pulling at the woman's hand.

Seto glanced over as well and then smiled brightly at the child and waved. The child smiled back and waved excitedly. The woman glanced down at the boy and then turned back to Sasuke and smiled kindly at him.

"Who's that, Buddy?" Sasuke asked his son.

"Oh that's my best friend, Haru. And that's his mommy." Seto explained. Sasuke hummed in response and then nodded a greeting to the woman before continuing on his way home without a glance back.

Before going home the two boys made a quick stop at the Hyuga Compound and picked up Mikoto. Hinata had agreed to watch her while Sasuke ran errands and trained with Naruto. Naruto had a mission coming up and he needed to work off some of the extra ramen he had eaten. And since Sasuke hadn't trained in awhile he went along to push Naruto to really work it off. Hinata was happy to watch the little Uchiha. Uchiha children have a way of working their way into one's heart.

Sasuke took his two children home and relaxed on the couch. He really has been working himself way too hard and after sending the afternoon training he was exhausted. Seto cuddled with his father as Mikoto played in her playpen. He had gotten so comfortable that he lapsed into a light slumber. Before he knew it Sakura was walking through the door after her shift at the hospital

She smiled when she walked in and noticed that Sasuke was relaxing. HE smiled back at her and motioned for her to come over. She gladly did so and sat next to him leaning her head n his shoulder. They chatted, discussing her day. Sasuke rubbed his hand over her swollen stomach.

The pregnancy was treating Sakura very well. Her skin was glowing, her nails were longer, her hair was longer and thicker and very shiny. And while she was putting on weight, she was still the small little thing she always was. It was kind of strange to a certain extent. She had always been a small person and it was a little strange to see her with a bulge in her tiny frame.

Others seem to think so as well. While she wasn't too big yet, her stomach was becoming more and more of a hand magnet. Even while most didn't approve of who got her this way and that she loved him, they still felt no hesitance to feel her stomach. She didn't mind it at first but it was starting to get annoying. Especially when it was a total stranger touching her belly.

"My mom visited me at the hospital today." Sakura said. Sasuke looked at her and gave her a look to continue. "She said that the Haruno five year reunion is this weekend. It's this big deal for my family where the big extended family all gets together and catches up with each other. It's a whole weekend filled with my crazy family."

Sasuke nodded wordlessly and gave her his full attention. "My dad had always found a way to get out of it since they are always so boring." she said. "But since we had managed to skip out on it the last three times, my family decided that it will be held in Konoha so we have no excuse to skip. My mother said that it would be nice if I could go for one day and say hi to everyone since I haven't seen them since I was three."

Sasuke nodded and waited for her to continue again. She didn't. "And . . . .? Are you asking my permission to go?"

She looked to the ground. "Well, I don't know anyone except my parents because the last time I saw most of them was when I was three and it's going to be terribly boring. And even though I don't really want to go, m mother used the motherly tone that said I had to go when she talked to me, so there is no way I can get out of it."

"And. . . .?"

Sakura stilled stared at the ground. "Well, I was wondering if you would like to go with me and keep me entertained and help me brave all my strange relatives."

"If you haven't really met them then how do you know they are strange?" Sasuke asked, ignoring her question.

"I've heard stories." she said bluntly in a strange tone, finally looking at him.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound good."

"Trust me, it's not." she said, and then realized he dodged the question. "Hey, are you going to come with me?"

Sasuke raised his eyebrow at her and smirked. "You just told me that they were very strange and it was going to be terribly boring. Why would I want to go?"

Sakura stared at the ground again, sadness coating her voice as she spoke. "Because I will be there and I don't want to deal with it alone."

Sasuke smirked and wrapped his arms around her. "I was only kidding, love. I didn't mean to upset you. Of course I will go with you."

She turned so that she was facing him and smiled excitedly. She snaked her arms around his neck tightly and thanked him repeatedly.

xOx

The weekend arrived quickly. Sasuke and Sakura had discussed that they would go out on Saturday and spend the day with her family. The reunion started Friday night. The family had checked into a hotel and had a big dinner there in Friday. The plan for Saturday was to go to the park and spend the entire day there having a picnic. Then on Sunday they would have a big breakfast at the hotel and then say goodbye and be on their way.

And as discussed beforehand, the young couple decided to let Hinata and Naruto watch the kids for the day. They didn't want to overwhelm her family too much. The last time they saw Sakura was when she was three. Now she was eighteen and five months pregnant with a wedding coming soon. It was going to be a lot for her family to take in. They didn't need to be thinking that she was some slut with a third kid on the way at only eighteen.

Sakura dressed in a nice sundress and a pair of sandals. She curled her hair and pulled half of it up while she left the rest down. And with the slightest hint of make-up she was ready, looking extremely beautiful. "How do I look?" she asked as she came down the stairs.

Sasuke lazily looked up at her as he carefully took a sip of his coffee. But when his brain registered what he was seeing his brain momentarily shut down. It was started up again when he accidentally drank too much coffee and burned his tongue. He chocked, spitting the coffee back into the cup and wiped his mouth, looking at Sakura again.

She seemed alarmed by his little 'fit' he had there. She asked if he was okay repeatedly but he just shrugged it off. "You look amazing." he said and she blushed.

"Thank you." she said before they headed out the door.

It was rather chilly for a July day. There was a storm coming in and it was a rather cold and dark day. The entire sky was clouded over with a gray sheet that periodically would shower down on them. It was still early in the morning so not a lot of people were there when they arrived at the park. They had set up large tents to shelter everyone from the rain.

Sakura spotted her mother and pulled Sasuke in her direction. When they reached her, she was setting out some portable camping chairs next to a picnic table. She had already claimed an area that was in the center of the tent. This way if it rained they didn't have to worry about getting dripped on. She greeted her daughter and soon-to-be-son and then quickly seated them in the comfortable two-seater chair.

Mr. Haruno joined them soon after and seated himself as well. The four of them quickly lapsed into an easy conversation. Sakura shivered slightly at one point but had tried to hide it. But Sasuke, with his alert eyes caught it and went into the bag that he had packed that morning and pulled out a thick blanket. He had thought it would be wise to bring it because of the cold, wet weather and he was right. Sakura smiled as Sasuke wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, wrapping the both of them in the blanket.

"Nice and warm?" Sasuke asked as Sakura cuddled deeper against him.

"Yeah, I'm very comfortable. Thanks again for coming with me."

Sasuke nodded and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Your welcome, love."

Mrs. Haruno snapped a picture of them and smiled, catching the moment he kiss her forehead on film. "You two are _so_ cute!" she said smiling. And even tough he hated to admit it, Mr. Haruno couldn't ask for someone better for his daughter. He had come to know Sasuke recently and felt incredibly foolish for hating him so much before.

"So, we have already greeted the family last night. Everyone kept asking where you were, you know." her mother said as people were starting to arrive.

"Oh, yeah?" Sakura asked and received a nod in return.

"Yeah. I told them that you were coming today. Everyone is all excited to see the woman you grew up to be. I think you're going to be the talk of the reunion."

Sakura smiled weakly in response and Sasuke gripped her tighter in his arms. She gratefully took the comfort.

"OH! I WOULD RECOGNIZE THAT PINK HAIR ANY WHERE!" they all suddenly heard.

The young couple turned to see a family coming toward the tents. There was a tall man carrying a cooler, two bags and what seemed to be a few chairs. There was a teenage boy lagging behind and what seemed to be a girl about Sakura's age walking next to the man. Then there was a woman that resembled Mr. Haruno greatly that had dropped the bag she was carrying, and the younger girl had picked up, and was now running toward them yelling at the top of her lungs about seeing her 'Sakura baby'.

Sasuke glanced at Sakura and almost laughed at her expression. Her face told all and right now, she wanted to run away.

"Running at this point could probably only help you." Sasuke reminded her in a mocking tone. The last thing he wanted was her to be running around while she was pregnant.

Sakura smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, and I have a feeling she would chase me if I tried."

The woman finally reached them and she was bending over Sakura to give her a hug before she even had a chance to even think about getting up. And since Sasuke and Sakura were sitting so close, she ended up half hugging Sasuke as well, much to his discomfort. "Oh, my! You are so grown up! You probably don't remember me but I'm your aunt and your god mom! You were so little the last time I was you!" she exclaimed as she hugged her tightly.

But much to Sakura's amazement, she could remember her face. There was a picture of her and her father that hung in the hallway of her parents house. She used to walk by it everyday. Sakura placed a polite smile on her face. "No I remember you. Dad has a picture of you two hanging in the hall." she said when the woman pulled way.

She smiled brightly in response and was about to answer when she finally noticed Sasuke. Her whole body froze as she took in the sight of him, memorizing every inch that was visible from under the blanket. "And who is this? I'm very good with remember people and yet I can't seem to recall who this is." she said as she studied him even harder to try to uncover his identify.

"Well, we don't expect you to remember him because this is the first time you have met him, sister." Mr. Haruno spoke.

The woman turned and looked at her brother. "Oh?"

The topic was temporarily dropped as the rest of her family joined them. The older man introduced himself as Sakura's uncle while the two younger ones introduced themselves as her cousins. The girl, Keiko, was two years older than Sasuke, making her three years older than Sakura while the boy, Masao, was two years younger than Sakura.

Once the group was settled, the aunt turned her attention back to Sasuke. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha." he said when she asked.

The aunt nodded and was about the press for more but Mrs. Haruno spoke. "Yes, he's Sakura's fiancé and my soon-to-be-son-in-law." She said with a voice brimming with pride.

The two ladies of the family reacted immediately, their mouths dropping open, while the two males weren't paying much attention. Her aunt gaped at them while her cousin struggled to form a sentence. "H-how old a-are you, a-again?"

"I turned eighteen in March and Sasuke turns nineteen on the 23rd." Sakura said.

The aunt closed her mouth and looked to her brother to analyze his reaction. She notice his calm state and was almost baffled by his composure. Wasn't her supposed to be freaking out. "Wow, my daughter is twenty-one and doesn't even have a boyfriend yet. I always thought you were going to play the over-protective father role and not let her out of the house." she said to her brother.

He nodded with his eyes closed. "Well, I'll admit I wasn't too excited about him at first but Sasuke really is a great kid." he said and the young couple suddenly felt every awkward. They were all talking about them like they weren't there. And as if reading each other's mind, they looked at each other a nodded. "Yeah, we are going to go for a quick walk while the rain is holding off." Sasuke said.

They nodded and were quiet, holding the conversation off until they were gone, and watched as Sasuke stood. He pulled the blanket away from him and stood before turning to help up Sakura. She pushed the blanket aside and grabbed Sasuke's hands as he pulled her up. The blanket that they were wrapped in had been hiding Sakura's belly from view but as she stood now, her belly was exposed for her family to see. An awkward and disbelieving silence fell over the group.

Sasuke grabbed at his jacket that he had brought along and placed it on her shoulders. She smiled and shrugged her arms through the sleeves and kiss Sasuke quickly before linking his hand with hers and slowly making their way to the walking path.

A silence lingered over them all until Masao, who had just started paying attention, spoke. "Oh my god."

Sasuke and Sakura walked at an even pace around the entire park. By the time they returned to the reunion everyone was practically there. The young couple made their way back to their seat with really being noticed but as soon as they were comfortable again her aunt was by their side again insisting that she rub her belly. Sakura grudgingly agreed since it was her godmother and she was really close to her father.

She cooed and lovingly rubbed her stomach. She even went as far as to pressed her head against it and greeted the baby. "Do you know the gender yet?" she asked after a moment.

Sakura shook her head. Her aunt looked at her with slight disappointed and then turned back to her stomach. Sakura looked at Sasuke with an uncomfortable look on her face and Sasuke wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. By doing his, it made it harder for her aunt to get to her stomach and she pulled away, smiling at them both.

She then pulled up a chair next to the couple and proceeded to act as if they were all best friends. She would periodically reach over and rub her tummy while she talked to either of them or even to another person. And every time she would reach over, Sakura would look at Sasuke and then switch to her mom and then her dad with a slightly pleading look. Her mother would giggled while her father would shake his head in an amused fashion. His sister was always like this.

Around noon, her mother pulled out lunch that she had packed for the four of them while her uncle pulled out lunch for his family as well since his wife wouldn't detach herself from Sakura. It was around this time that people started to noticed that Sakura had joined the group. One after one, person after person, people came over to her and greeted her like a long lost friend and introduced themselves. And Sakura didn't want to be rude and eat while they were introducing themselves so she would had her plate over to Sasuke and then greet them.

She had the blanket covering her again so most didn't know she was pregnant until her aunt would reach over and rub her belly. They would all look at her strangely until she explained that she was pregnant and then they too would join in rubbing her belly.

It was the same thing over and over again: "Hi, do you remember me? I'm your (insert relation here) , (inset name here). It's been so long. You have really grown up to be so beautiful." then they would look to Sasuke with his arms around her. "And who's this?" (insert introduction here) "Oh my! Your engaged! You're so young!" (insert explanation here. Example: "yes, but we are madly in love") They would then glance at her parents to see if this was actually a good thing and then they would congratulate them. Then while they are thanking them, her aunt would reach over and rub her stomach. The relative would look at her strangely. (Insert aunt explanation) Another glance at parents. "Oh, my! Congratulations! (insert question about baby. Example: "Is it a boy or a girl?" or "How far along are you?" etc, etc.)" said while rubbing belly.

They all seemed kind of anxious to see her standing and get a good view of her but most respected the fact that she may not want to get up. And those who did ask was told by Sasuke or one of her parents that she would be up later and for now she should just eat her food. And like her mother had predicted, Sakura was the talk of the reunion.

Everyone where crowded around the group trying to talk to the young couple. They all wanted to know how they met, when they started dating, when they got engaged, when they knew they were serious about each other, and much more. They wanted to talk to Sakura about the pregnancy and wedding details. They wanted to find out if Sasuke was good enough for her. It was one question after another.

Sasuke couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with all of this attention. While he was used to attention, he was not used to this kind of attention. No one seemed to hate him at all. They were all curious to get to know him but they were kind to him. They wanted to know about everything in his life but Sasuke being Sasuke wasn't very comfortable giving out information to strangers. He managed to skillfully dodge most of the questions.

Her aunt giggled. "I thought for sure that my family was going to be the center of attention this year. Nothing big ever really happens in the Haruno family so I thought that with Keiko finishing that book and Masao getting that picture in a magazine." she said.

Sakura looked over to her cousins noticing that Masao didn't look like he cared while Keiko seemed disappointed. Sakura studied her and figured that she wanted some attention for her achievement. Sakura gladly took the opportunity to get the attention away from her. "Finished a book?" she asked, looking at her cousin.

The girl looked up at her and smiled proudly. "Yeah. I started it when I was sixteen and I finally finished it. It's not published yet but I have several people looking at it and it may be published."

Sakura smiled at her, genuinely happy for her. "Wow. What kind of book is it?"

"It's a fiction novel. It's about a girl that falls in love with a boy that doesn't know she exist and what she goes through to try to get him to notice her."

"I've read it. It's really funny." Masao threw in joining the conversation. He didn't seem to be having much fun and was mostly bored the entire time. But now that there was a decent conversation going on he quickly joined in.

Sasuke listened quietly by Sakura's side. She shifted so that her back was pressed to his chest and leaned her head back on his shoulder. Her family cooed and awed that the cute couple and Sakura saw that both her cousin's had a look of disappointment cross their faces. She smiled and looked right at them, now facing them fully and ignored the rest of the family. "Do I get a copy when it gets published? I would love to read it." she said and saw her cousins light up again.

She smiled and dug in her bag. "I have a extra copy here if you would like it. It's just the manuscript so he binding is cheap and there isn't a cover, but it's the book." she said, getting up to hand it to her.

Sakura smiled brightly and gingerly took it. "Are you sure? You don't need this or anything do you?" she asked.

Keiko shrugged. "I have it all on my computer at home and I have several copies already. Plus, you seem so excited about it. Just tell what you think about it." she said, smiling.

Sakura broke out with a wide smiled and hugged it to her chest. She really was a book nerd and she had never had a manuscript so it really excited her. Keiko seemed to notice this and smiled. And as a result of the conversation, some family members had turned their attention to her and she proudly talked about her work. She was excited, Sakura noticed, that she finished it and was getting it published soon hopefully.

Sasuke glanced at Masao. He held a professional camera in his hands and he was playing with it. He would snap a photo and then adjust something and then take another. Sasuke had noticed that he had been doing this for most of the time spent here, seeming to be entertaining himself. While Sakura talked to her cousin about her book he looked at him and asked him about the camera.

He told him that it was just a hobby of his but he had submitted a piece to a magazine for a contest and won. The piece was featured in the magazine with a little story about him. It wasn't anything really special but his mother was proud. He told him that he enjoyed taking pictures of anything like people, objects, scenery.

Sasuke nodded. "You know, if you get a chance there are some really beautiful places you should check out. You could probably get some good pictures from the Hokage tower or by the lake. You could even walk down some of the main streets and get some pretty interesting stuff."

This peaked his attention. "Yeah?"

Sasuke nodded. "Konoha is a very beautiful place to live. You should see the Uchiha compound in the spring. All the flowers are blooming, the grass is always a lush green. We have coy ponds and cherry blossom trees and little fountains. It's very beautiful." He said.

Masao looked kind of excited, imagining it all. Sasuke smirked at him. "The wedding is going to be in the spring and I'm sure you and your family would like to be there. You can take the picture then if you would like. You could get in there before we decorate it and take the pictures and then if you wanted to, you take some when it is decorated."

Masao's eyes sparkled. "Yeah? You would really let me do that?"

Sasuke nodded with a smirk on his lips. The boy smiled brightly in return and then thanked him before rushing over to his sister to share the news. She seemed genuinely excited for him.

xOx

An hour or so passed and in that time Sakura's cousins moved closer to the couple. The four of them chatted pleasantly, getting along very well. Keiko looked at her cousin at one point and just watched. Sakura has looking up at Sasuke, who had said something funny to her for she was laughing. He seemed to have a slightly confused look on his face and was looking back and forth between his fiancé and her brother, who was also laughing.

Sakura's laughs slowed to a giggled and she leaned in and kissed him quickly but passionately. Keiko couldn't help herself. "You don't mind some personal questions, do you?" she asked.

The couple looked at her strangely and slightly hesitantly. "Personal?" Sakura asked warily.

"Yeah. I've never been in love before and I don't know what's it like. But I want to become a great writer one day and I was just wondering if you could share how you two fell in love. I understand if you aren't comfortable with sharing that but it could give me some ideas and really help." she said with a legitimately hopeful look on her face.

The couple looked at each other. They really liked her and they both didn't mind sharing the story with her. They trusted her and it all seemed very innocent. Their only problem was the many people standing around eavesdropping on them. They eyed each other and nodded.

Sakura motioned for her to lean over to them and she did so. "We would be glad to share our story with you. But we would have to do so somewhere else where not so many people were listening. It's just uncomfortable talking about it since it's not very conventional with so many listening. Our house isn't far. We could say goodbye as quickly as we can and head over there. It's quiet and plus, we would be getting out of the cold." Sakura explained. Keiko nodded excitedly.

"Hey Masao, if you would like you could come and take pictures of the compound. It's better in the spring but I'm sure you could get some nice photo's even in this weather." Sasuke added. "The compound could look pretty creepy in this weather if you look in the right place." he said and Masao nodded excitedly.

The group nodded and stood up, determined to get out of there as soon as possible. But with everyone waiting for Sakura to stand up, they all rushed to her. It was a good twenty minutes before she was even able to tell everyone she was leaving. But of course everyone wanted pictures and they spent an unknown amount of time taking them. They wanted pictures of just Sakura turned so you could see her belly, of her and Sasuke, with her parents and then with the young couple and her parents. Then they wanted to get into the picture them all. It was a grand process that took forever.

Then everyone wanted hugs and the group of four had to hug every person before they left, even Sasuke much to his dismay. Sasuke was all too grateful to get out of there. But on the way home, they took a detour and picked up the kids. The cousins were shocked to say the least but once Seto started talking to them, they quickly warmed up to them.

They made it home with Hinata, Naruto with them as well. Ino, who had happened to run into them, decide to join them as well, dragging Shikamaru along with them. They moved into the kitchen and made tea to warm them up while Sakura went up stairs to change. She came back down dressed in warmer and more comfortable clothes and sat down that the table.

Keiko had pulled out a notepad and anxiously wrote down everything that was told. Sakura started at the beginning. She started with hers and Ino's childhood crush. Ino even joined in and filled in details that was missed, but not before making a comment about how stupid she was for liking him. Sasuke rolled his eyes and shared his side of the story before they moved on.

They spent a long while telling the story. Sakura would tell her side and the stop at a certain point and then Sasuke would tell his side, stopping at the same point. Naruto, Hinata, and Ino and even Shikamaru sometimes all threw in comments and filled in details. Keiko had started writing Sakura's version on one side of the paper and then Sasuke's on the other. She wrote out long, detailed notes, filling up at least fifteen pages by the time they got to the part where Sasuke left.

Her two cousins were riveted by the story. Masao ended up staying for the whole story when he was only going to warm up a bit before he went out to explore the compound and take pictures. But once he started listening, he was drawn to it, wanting to hear everything. The young couple had only planned to tell them how they fell in love but once they got to the part where they planned to stop, the two had insisted on hearing the rest. It wasn't much trouble so they continued, moving past the part where they fell in love.

Sasuke, who had kept the Uchiha secret this entire time, was finally persuaded to share it. He told them the truth about why his loving brother had killed his family. Everyone was shocked beyond words. And while Sasuke wasn't really ready to talk about it just yet, he was able to tell them all the truth.

They told them everything, finally stopping at today. Keiko looked through her notepad, having lost count of how many pages she had used. "Wow." she said as she flipped through the man pages. "You two have been through so much."

They grabbed each other's hand and smiled at each other. "We could survive anything." Sakura said as she gazed lovingly at Sasuke.

xOx

The group spent the rest of the day together before her cousins hesitantly went back to their hotel. Sakura had promised to write detailed letters to her cousins about what was going in her life and had given her cousins a number to contact her. Naruto had left to walk Hinata home and surprisingly Ino left with Shikamaru, leaving the family to themselves.

Sasuke tucked in the kids and then came into the bedroom. He stripped himself of his clothes and then climbed into bed rather quickly. Sakura sometimes gets very hot at night and it causes her to get very uncomfortable. So to help this they have kept the bedroom very cool and Sasuke found it very uncomfortable if he wasn't under a blanket.

Sakura joined him soon, dressed in on of Sasuke's large shirts and a pair of short shorts instead of her tank tops. She cuddled up against him, laying on her side to prevent her uterus from putting to much pressure on a major vein. Sasuke held her close as they settled into a peaceful silence.

Sasuke closed his eyes and felt himself relax. He could actually feel himself slipping into a peaceful sleep instead of laying awake for hours. If he wasn't so tied, he would have been very happy. But just as he was starting to slip away, Sakura suddenly moved. It was a small movement but it was enough to wake him up. He looked at her.

She was rubbing her swollen stomach. He was slightly alarmed at first, wondering if they were both okay. He was about to nudge her when she spoke very quietly. "Okay, baby. Stop moving. Mommy is tired and is trying to sleep." she whispered.

Sasuke was immediately awake. "Wait, you can feel it moving?" he asked.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. "Yeah, I noticed it awhile back but I just thought it was gas or hunger pains or something. But it kept happening and it keeps getting stronger so I think it's the baby moving. It's getting much stronger now and I think it will be kicks and punches soon that you could probably feel." she explained.

Sasuke's eyes were wide as he stared at her. "What does it feel like?"

She smiled. "Sometimes it's feels like bubbles and then other times it feels like butterflies fluttering around or a tapping sensation."

Sasuke stared at her swollen stomach in amazement. He rubbed it gently and Sakura smiled, not minding when he rubbed her stomach. He kissed her gently and then slowly moved down to kiss her stomach. "Listen to Mommy and let her sleep." he whispered as he moved back up and pulled his love closer.

She smiled. "The baby listened to you." she said rubbing her belly. "It stopped moving."

Sasuke smiled and held her tighter for a moment. It wasn't long before they both surrendered to sleep.

* * *

**well im sure there are a lot of mistakes and i'm sorry about that but this chapter is longer then they usually are and it really messed me up. So tell me what you think.**

**So, help: i need baby names. It just occured to me what i haven't picked a name for the baby and it is getting closer and closer. So please, if you have any i would love to hear them.**

**until next time.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Hello. Sorry it took so long to update (its' only been two weeks but it feels like more). I started school again so that has been taking up alot of my time as well as the piles of homework i have been getting daily. Like seriously, today was the first day that i haven't gotten homework in excluding the first day. It's very depressing. But anyways, i had planned to update last weekend, but i got so utterly distracted that i didn't have a chance to finish the chapter. I'm so bad. . . **

**Otay, the response i got for the last chapter was amazing. Almost all the reviews had name suggestions in them. Thank you so much. I still havent decided but let me tell you, i'm will have plenty to choose from. So thank you all. I would type out everyone that helped me out but i'm tired and my hands hurt so forgive me.**

**On a side note before i get this started, i have been listening to two songs a lot lately. They are both by Black Veil Brides called Knives and Pens** **and The Gunsling. Another band i have been into lately is Motley Crue. Love them to death! Yeah Nikki Sixx (Bassist in Motley Crue) and Andy Sixx (Singer in Black Veil Brides)! Hmm . . . they have the same last name . . . never noticed. I wonder if i just have a thing with Sixx s. . . . ? (666?) Does that make me evil? . . . You know, even if it does, i'm oddly not upset about that. I'd gladly be evil for liking Nikki and Andy. Well, im rambling.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Sakura's eyes lazily fluttered open when she heard the sounds of someone running around somewhere in the house. She listened to the clumsy footfalls and concluded that it was one of the kids and not some sort of intruder. She rolled over and cuddled up against the sleeping Sasuke next to her, laying her head on his chest. Even in his sleep he responded to her touch and wrapped his arms around her slender body.

She smiled and was about to slip into the gentle world of sleep again when the bedroom door suddenly burst open and the clumsy footfalls were running full speed toward the bed. Sakura kept her eyes closed and waited for the impact to occur. She didn't have to wait long until she felt a small body jump onto the bed and start to crawl over to them.

She kept her eyes closed until she felt little hands start shaking her. "Mommy, wake up. I don't want to be late for my first day at the academy." a small, but loud voice said.

She sighed and rolled over to lay on her back and stare at the child waking her up. He was a dark black haired boy with tints of red in it when the hallway light hit it. He still had some baby fat on his face, giving him a youthful quality. He had dark green eyes that were wide with excitement and was dressed in full ninja gear, ready for the day already. He looked a lot like Sasuke in many ways. Almost like a younger, more innocent, green eyed version of Sasuke.

Sakura glanced at the clock besides the bed, it reading four o' seven in the morning. Sakura sighed and pulled the boy into her arms. "Baby, it's four in the morning. You still have plenty of time before you have to leave."

He frowned, childishly pouting. "I'm not a baby anymore. I'm a ninja-in-training now." he mumbled as he crossed her arms over his chest.

Sakura giggled. "Well you will always be my baby. Even when you are sixty-three." she said, kissing him on the forehead.

He pouted for a moment longer before smiling and giving his mother a hug. They held this embrace for a long moment before the little boy yawned and Sakura giggled. She released him and gently nudged him toward the door. "Now go back to sleep. We don't want you to be exhausted for your big day, now do we?" she asked and he jumped down from the bed.

He yawned again and rubbed his eye in a lazy fashion. "No."

"Good. Now go back to sleep and I promise I will wake you up in time, okay?" she said.

He nodded and flashed a tired smile at her before escaping into the hallway and closing the door. Sakura smiled again and then let a let a tired sigh escape her lips as her eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness that enveloped the room when the door was closed. After a moment she rolled over onto her again and almost jumped in surprise.

Sasuke was wide awake and staring at her, his intense dark eyes seeming much darker in this lighting. She took in deep breath and smiled. "I thought you were still asleep." she said as he smirked.

He pulled her closer to him and she immediately cuddled back against him, finding a comfortable position very quickly. "I love you." he whispered into her ear.

"I love you too." she whispered back as a sweet smile spread against her face. She exhaled and wrapped her arms around his torso. It wasn't long before Sakura drifted into a peaceful sleep.

And then she woke up.

The room was still mostly dark with some sunlight peaking through the blinds. It was early, she concluded slowly in her still half asleep mind. She looked down at herself and saw her pregnant belly and an arm wrapped around her waist that was resting by her belly button. She shifted slightly, though she had troubles with her belly and with Sasuke so close, so see Sasuke's face.

She examined it carefully and compared it to the child's face from her dream. It was very easy to see the similarities, especially when Sasuke was sleeping. He always looks much more innocent and peaceful when he is sleeping.

She reached up and gently stroked his cheek. She didn't mean to wake him up, but when her hand came in contact with his face he sucked in a deep breathe and leaned away, rolling over onto his back. Sakura froze, immediately feeling guilty for waking him and just watched. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and let out a yawn before looking at her. She looked like a deer in headlights. He chuckled.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." she whispered.

"Don't worry about it." he whispered back as he reached out to rub her stomach.

She relaxed at his touch and watched his hand move slowly across her stomach . She stared at his hand for awhile before she turned to look at his peaceful face. He seemed entranced by her stomach. And even without saying it she knew he was still amazed that he was really going to be a father. After all that he had gone through, she knew he only thought his only kids were going to be Seto and Mikoto.

She smiled and placed her hand atop of his. "I have a feeling it's going to be a boy." she whispered.

There was a beat of silence before Sasuke spoke. "A boy? How do you know?"

She smiled softly. "I have this really good gut feeling and I've dreamt about the same little boy for about two months now."

Sasuke was silent for a moment and then pulled himself closer to her. Wrapping his arms around her, he stared down at their hands on her stomach. "Yeah?" he asked.

She nodded slightly. "And all my dreams are different. His first day at the academy, making cookies with him, teaching him a new jutsu, his first steps, his first crush, his first word, birthdays, playing with him in the backyard, chasing him around the house to try to get him to take a bath and so much more. And he's beautiful. He has dark green eyes and dark black hair that shines red in the light. He's so small and cute and innocent." she said in an excited whisper.

Sasuke tightened his hold on her. "He sounds nice."

She smiled. "He's prefect." she corrected lightly.

He chuckled and closed his eyes, settling into a comfortable position again. "Tell me." he said.

She cuddled closer to him and closed her eyes as well. She spoke about her dreams in great detail. She spoke clearly at first but with each passing moment her world started to fog over. She drifted back to sleep soon after she started to tell him. Sasuke smiled at this and then let himself fall asleep as well.

xOx

Sakura, Ino, Tenten and Hinata sat at the kitchen table. After waking up again, the young couple had a normal morning. The boys had all had all made plans to go out for a major training session that day so the girls had decided to get together and have girl time. So the girls now sat in the kitchen while the boys were out and Seto was in daycare in the middle of July,

Sakura was about twenty-two weeks pregnant now. She wasn't too big yet but she wasn't tiny either. She was feeling pretty comfortable at the moment and was trying to enjoy this feeling while it lasted. She knew she was only going to get bigger and have a new list of complaints when the third semester rolls around. So she was making the best out of what she has now while she could.

Ino was engrossed in telling a story about something that had happened at the market the other day. Hinata was quietly stirring her tea while she listened and laughed at Ino and her descriptions. Tenten leaned back against her chair and swung her arms the back of the chair so that it hung loosely as she comment on what Ino was saying. Sakura rubbed her growing belly while she watched Ino ecstatically waved her arms around as she spoke.

Sakura winced suddenly and then three girls turned to her. She smiled at them as if nothing was wrong. "It's nothing. The baby is just kicking is all." she explained before they were all jumping out of their chairs to feel.

Sakura stifled a moments shock and then smiled before moving Ino's hand right where had been getting kicked. Ino waited impatiently and then jumped back when she felt a sudden kick against her hand. "Whoa! That's freaky!" she exclaimed as Sakura moved Hinata's hand into place next.

When she felt the kick against her hand she smiled with wide eyes and stepped back, allowing Tenten to get in there to feel. Tenten was there in a second and excitedly waited. But it seemed that the baby was taking a break because it wasn't kicking for her and she frowned. "How come it doesn't like me?" she asked with a frown.

Sakura just smiled. "He'll kick again soon and I promise you'll be able to feel."

"He?" Hinata asked quietly.

Sakura nodded. "I just have a feeling."

The girls looked at her for a moment and then just accepted this and Ino went back into her story. The day progressed easily and quickly and before they knew it the boys were walking through the kitchen door. They were all slightly bruised, but nothing major and sweaty. But judging by how none of them seemed mad or upset in anyway, it looks like the training session went fairly well.

"We're back." Sasuke said as he walked into the kitchen and stepped up behind Sakura and gave her a quick kiss. "How was your day?" he asked her.

She winced again. As soon as Sasuke spoke the baby started to kick, as if recognizing the sound of his voice. Tenten jumped up and pressed her hand to Sakura's stomach and Sakura directed her hand into place without much thought. Tenten smiled childishly as Sakura spoke. "Fun. We hadn't had a girls day in awhile." she said to Sasuke.

"Well I'm glad you had fun." Sasuke said as he rubbed her stomach when Tenten moved. The baby happily kicked against his hand in greeting.

Sasuke pulled away then and stretched, heading for the doorway. "I'm going to go change." he said and only made it into the hallway before he froze.

As soon as he stepped out of the kitchen, he felt a sudden chakra spike followed by a sudden gasp. He turned sharply on his heel and rushed to Sakura's side again. She was holding her stomach with a look of pain and shock on her face. "Sakura?" he asked uneasily as he tried to figure out a way to help her. Naruto, who had been by the sink was by her side in a second, his hands hovering over her uneasily.

She took a moment to collect herself to speak. "W-what was that?" she asked as everyone stared in concern at her.

Sasuke glanced at Neji and then at Hinata, both of them having an almost identical disbelieving look on their faces. Their faces confirmed Sasuke suspicions. "Um. . . that was a kick." Sasuke said simply but Sakura shook her head.

"No, that was not a kick. That hurt too much to be a kick."

Sasuke glanced at Neji quickly and then spoke. "Yeah well, that was a kick. Just it was a chakra filled kick."

Sakura stilled and stared at him with a blank face. "What?"

Sasuke looked at the ground, trying to find something to say. Hinata took over from there and stepped right behind Sasuke and looked at Sakura. "Neji and I are able to see the baby's chakra flow inside your body. When Sasuke started to walk away, the baby's chakra spiked. The chakra gathered in its limb when he kicked, causing more pain to be inflicted."

It took a moment for the knowledge to sink in before Sakura panicked. "What? I've never heard of this happening to anyone before. Is this normal? Is he growing to fast? Is he alright? Is there something wrong?"

Everyone glanced at each other. "Maybe we should Tsunade check her out, just to be sure." Naruto suggested anxiously. Ino stepped up behind him.

"Yeah, lets just go and see what she says." she said, looking at Sasuke. He nodded and helped Sakura out of the chair. She held her stomach and let herself be lead to the door. Hinata pulled Mikoto into her arms and followed along with the rest of the group.

xOx

Naruto and Ino stood against the wall of the hospital room, trying to stay out of the way Tsunade had already been in and had already told the two the leave and wait outside in the hall with the rest of the group but they insisted. And after a moment of persuasion, she allowed it with the promise that they would stay out of the way. She made them stand way out of the way while she worked and then left to run some tests awhile ago.

Sasuke sat next to Sakura, trying to keep a calm façade and keep Sakura from worrying. She laid on the uncomfortable bed with her hands wrapped around her swollen stomach, muttering to herself. Sasuke pulled one of her hands into his and squeezed it reassuringly but she didn't even look at him.

Tsunade walked into the room, glancing at Ino and Naruto quickly before stepping up to the couple. "Okay, I ran some tests and everything is fine. The baby is growing very well and looks very healthy."

Sakura looked at her with worried eyes. "Are you sure?"

Tsunade nodded and then pulled up a seat next her young student. "Yes, but if it will reassure you, I can do another ultrasound for you." she said and Sakura nodded quickly. Tsunade smiled and pulled the machine up next to the bed and had Sakura lift her shirt again. She did so and Tsunade put the cold gel on her stomach, causing a shiver to go up the young girls spine.

Sakura leaned her head back and closed her eyes. After a moment Tsunade began to rub the equipment on her stomach and the sound of the baby's heartbeat filled the room. Sakura looked at the machine and with her medical practice, examined what she was seeing.

Tsunade glanced quickly at her student and then turned back to the machine. "See? It's growing perfectly fine."

Sakura was silent for a moment and then glanced at her sensei. "But how was he able to use his chakra? I've never heard of anything like that."

Tsunade switched the machine off and began cleaning up. Naruto stepped behind her. "If babies aren't supposed to be able to use chakra yet, then how did the baby do it?"

Tsunade glared at him harshly and Naruto gulped and moved back over to his spot by the wall. Tsunade continued to glare at him for a moment before answering. "Well, babies are able to use their chakra but most do not know how. It's extremely rare that a baby will be able to do this." she said.

Sakura looked at her teacher anxiously. "What does it mean that he can?"

Tsunade shrugged. "Nothing. The baby is just like any other baby except it is already beginning to learn chakra control while most people learn this when they are in the academy."

Naruto's mouth dropped open. "What!? I didn't learn that until I was twelve and it took forever for me to master! How fair is it that the baby is already learning it and it's not even born yet!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes at him. "You can see why this is so rare."

"So everything is fine?" Sakura asked, ignoring Naruto's outburst. Tsunade nodded.

"But what about the pain that Sakura's feeling?" Sasuke asked, having spoke for the first time since they got there.

Tsunade frowned. "Unfortunately there isn't anything that can be done about that unless we bind the baby's chakra. However, the baby needs some of its chakra to grow properly so I wouldn't do this unless there was no other way." She said and opened her mouth to say more but Sakura interrupted her.

"No. I can handle it. As long as the baby is fine I can handle whatever pain he causes me. I don't care as long as he is okay." she said in a determined voice that left no room for arguing.

Tsunade studied her and then sighed. "Whatever you say but as of today you are on maternity leave." she said and started for the door.

Sakura gasped. "What!? No! I can handle it! I don't nee-" she started to protest but Tsunade shushed her.

"Silence! You need to take it easy from now on. Working at the hospital is a very hard job and puts a lot of strain on the body. When the baby feels this, it will respond and may cause you a lot of pain."

"I don't care what kind of pain I go through. I can handle it." Sakura interrupted and Tsunade glared.

"No. Because of this new development, your pregnancy is now a high risk pregnancy. Everything is going to get harder and harder as the days go on and if you push yourself, you will not only be putting yourself into danger, but the baby as well. You two are directly linked right now, and I doubt you would want to take the risk."

This silenced Sakura as she rubbed her belly and grimaced. While she wanted to continue to work at the hospital, she wasn't going to risk her little boy to do so. She sighed, defeated. Tsunade smirked, and then started for the door. "Take it easy from now on, doctors orders. And if you don't, I may just have to put you on bed rest and we both wouldn't want that."

Sakura grimaced at her sensei but couldn't bring herself to do anything more. She rubbed her stomach absentmindedly. Sasuke saw how upset she was and wrapped his arms around her. She was still for a moment and then rested her head on his shoulder. "I want to go home now." she muttered to him.

He nodded and squeezed her tightly for a second. "Okay, love. Let's go home."

* * *

**i hope you enjoyed. Sorry if it wasn't everything you expected. I'm hungry. . . . My stomach is going "Grwar! Feed Me!" . . . just thought i'd let you know. . . .**

**Review please!**


	33. Chapter 33

**I'm not going to say much cause i'm tired. I dreamt this chapter last night and i had to write it. Unfortunately, i had to wait until after school to do so, which gave me less time to actually work on it and more time to forget what happened in my dream.**

**Sorry for all the mistakes. I'm really super tired after a hard night (of crying because my poop of a friend) and a long day of school. I'm running a little slow at the moment.**

**Well thank you to all that reviewed last chapter. It means the world to me.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Sasuke sighed and rested his face in his hands. It was August now, which meant several things. Sasuke was nineteen now, though he felt that he should have wrinkles by now with all the crap in his life. Sakura was now in her sixth months of her pregnancy, almost into her seventh, and getting bigger and bigger each day. She was dealing with it all very well, considering everything.

Now that she was getting bigger, her back was stating to ache and she was getting leg cramps a lot. They usually occurred at night and always alarmed Sasuke but she always assured him it was normal. Her legs were carrying more weight now and with her uterus growing, it was putting pressure on the vein that returns the blood from her legs to her heart, causing them to cramp up. She always smiled, trying to hide her discomfort from him so that he wouldn't worry. Unfortunately for her, he always noticed anyways.

And another thing, it was harder for her to hide the pain of the sudden kicks. Most of the time, they were just normal kicks that any baby would do. But sometimes, and it seemed to be occurring more and more, the little guy inside her would let out a powerful kick or jab. There was no way for her to hide those. They were always so sudden, when she was least excepting it and would leave her reeling. And even if she tried to hide it, Sasuke would feel the chakra spike and would rush to her side.

The little guy was getting stronger, Sasuke noticed. He wasn't fully developed yet and neither was his chakra. But as the days went by, the chakra would grow in direct relation to his developing body. He was getting stronger and it was getting harder for Sakura everyday. This worried Sasuke to no end and he found himself talking to Tsunade often. She assumed him that Sakura would be okay and that she was strong enough to do this, but if worse came to worse, she was always ready to go into emergency surgery.

And even though she had said it to comfort him, it made him freak even more. He didn't want to think that his soon-to-be-wife might have to be rushed to the hospital in the near future in order to save both hers and their baby's life. The idea scared him more than he was willing to admit.

Sasuke pulled his head out of his hands and tiredly rubbed his eyes. He glanced at the clock, it reading three forty-eight in the morning. He had just started to settle into a normal sleep pattern before the sudden development in the pregnancy and was getting more sleep. But in recent weeks, he had started to settle into his bad sleeping habits again. It was the stress and the worry of it all that was causing him to lose sleep. And if it was one thing he knew about kids is that they won't let you sleep after they were born either. He was in for an interesting couple years, he could tell.

Sasuke yawned and put the folder that he was looking at away. It was for the Uchiha-Hyuga Police Department and he was supposed to have looked at it at least a week ago but he hadn't found the time. He could put it off for one more night and try to get some sleep, he thought to himself and then moved the folder in a pile on the table.

The pile on the table was all wedding stuff but Sasuke was too tired to care where he was putting the stupid folder. Since Sakura was forced to take it easy, she decided to throw herself into wedding plans with her mother. And even though Sasuke argued that planning a wedding isn't taking it easy and that dealing with all that stress couldn't be good, she refused to listen/

"When Tsunade said take it easy, she meant physically. There is not harm in me planning this wedding." she had said when Sasuke mentioned this to her. But he simply shook his head and continued to argue that it wasn't a good idea. She grimaced. "If I am going to be forced to take it easy, then I need something progressive to accomplish when I can't do anything else. Now, I am going to plan this wedding whether you like it or not. I am just as stubborn as you are and I will fight you through this. So, why don't you do us both a favor and just quit while you are ahead and save us the trouble of fighting constantly." she had snapped at him in her frustration.

Sasuke tensed and then calmly walked away from her. He had seen her snap many people on a bad day and her hormones got the best of her. And although he had seen her snap at other people, he had never been on the receiving end unless she was just taking her angry out on him. But she was angry with him now, and he knew not to push his luck. So he walked away and let her cool down. She later apologized to him and then immediately got angry at him again when he mentioned that he still thought it wasn't a good idea.

It's been a touchy subject between them, though that hasn't stopped her from including him in the planning. She showed him frilly invitation after frilly invitation, asking his opinion on them all. They did cake testing, much to Sasuke's dismay for he isn't one for sweets, and discussed decorations. Sakura was currently planning the engagement party as well, adding to Sasuke's list of horrors. The wedding, which he had originally thought was going to be a small event for friends and family only, seemed to be getting bigger and bigger with each passing day.

And Ino seemed to be egging Sakura on. Mrs. Haruno, Ino and Sakura have been working tirelessly to plan this wedding. But instead of just making a simple affair, they are making it a grand affair. "The wedding of the year." Ino had said.

Sakura had some up to Sasuke the other day, not even looking at him and instead studying the list in her hand, flipping through pages in the notebook. "Babe, when do you think we can move the coy pond?" she asked absentmindedly.

Sasuke stared at her incredulously. "Move the coy pond?"

She nodded, finally looking up at him with a sweet smile on her face. "Yeah, Ino had the greatest idea. We're going to have a full orchestra playing at our wedding, but we need the room to do so. So, the way I figure it, if we move the coy pond we'll be able to fit it in." She said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Sasuke felt his eye twitch a bit. "When are you going to hire the midgets to run around as entertainment?" Sasuke asked calmly.

A confused look crossed her face. "You want midgets at the wedding?" she asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

Sasuke rolled his eyes before explaining that he doesn't want midgets and that he couldn't move the coy pond. Her eyebrows furrowed in response. "How are we going to fit the orchestra in, then?"

"Simple. We just won't have one."

Sakura glared at him. "What do you mean?"

A small fit ensured until the baby, feeling Sakura's change in mood and the arguing, kicked her harshly. She gasped and dropped the notebook in her hand to clutch her stomach. And just like that, fight was forgotten and Sakura was ordered to sit down for awhile.

It's been a difficult adventure for the both of them.

Sasuke sluggishly climbed the stairs and entered the bedroom, seeing Sakura's sleeping form in bed. She was laying on her side with a pillow between her legs for comfort and support. Sasuke tugged his shirt on and dropped it to the floor. He walked over to his side of the bed and stripped his pants and climbed under the blanket.

He yawed soundlessly and then draped his arm loosely over Sakura's form, his hand resting on her stomach. It was only when he was in bed that he realized that he didn't check on the children. He did it every night before he went to bed, but just simply forgot. He silently debated about whether he should get back up but sleep's fog was already starting to settle over him. It would be okay to skip it for one night, he told himself.

He relaxed and had almost claimed sleep when something disturbed him. It was a strange noise, like crash or a boom. It was loud enough to walk him from his half asleep state, but it wasn't loud enough to make him jolt up. It sounded more like it was outside somewhere, and didn't sound very close. But it must have been big to wake him from the unknown distance.

He sat up and searched for any chakra singles nearby. The entire house was at rest with no strange activity but Sasuke still had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He climbed out of bed, careful not to wake up Sakura and pulled his clothes that he had discarded back on. He crept into the hallway and went to check on Mikoto first, since she was closer. Nothing was out of the ordinary, with the small girl sleeping peacefully in her crib.

After checking everything in there, he moved onto Seto. He quietly entered the room and at first didn't see anything out of the ordinary as well. Seto was sleeping peacefully, his blanket tangled in his limbs. Sasuke gently pulled the blanket free and then covered him back up again. But as he was straightening back up from his bent over position, something out of the corner of his eyes drew his attention. It was the window, and one of the few in the entire house that allowed a good view of the village.

At this time of night, the village was usually dark. Aside from the main streets where many twenty-four hour places are located, all the lights would be off for people were sleeping or businesses were closed for the night. Usually you would see a faint glow from the main streets surrounded by darkness. Usually.

But tonight, the village seemed to be alive. Lights were on in apartment buildings and houses. The street where the weapons and gear stores were sold on were lit up. Sasuke could also make out people jumping out their windows and traveling on the rooftops. There were people running in the street, all seeming to be headed in one direction. This however was all he could see, for there was a tree blocking the rest of his view.

Sasuke turned on his heal and exited the bedroom, careful not to wake his sleeping son. He made his way to the first window he could and pulled himself up onto the roof. As soon as the open air hit him, he could make out the distinct smell of something burning. He moved to a good spot where he could see the village quickly and then froze. There was a dark cloud raising from somewhere in the distance but he couldn't tell if it was actually in the village or outside the gate. But from here, he could see more people responding and they were all headed toward the dark cloud.

Sasuke moved quickly and silently, climbing back into the house through his bedroom window. He silently dressed in better clothes, and grabbed his gear in case it wasn't just a fire. He pulled on a pair of boots that went to just below his shins and tucked his pants into them quickly. Pulling a loose shirt over his shoulders and grabbing a cloth belt, he silently walked into the hallway, never disturbing Sakura at all. He was still fixing his clothes when he silently entered Ino's room and gently nudged her awake.

She groaned and rolled onto her back to look at him. "What?" she snapped angrily. But before Sasuke could answer, she noticed his clothes and sat up quickly, now fully awake. "What's going on?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't know but there seems to be some sort of trouble. I'm going to go check it out. I want you to keep an eye on the house and on Sakura and the kids. Don't wake them unless you have to." he instructed and then lept out of her window and onto the roof before she could respond.

She stared at the open window for a moment more before climbing out and onto the roof as well. Sasuke was already gone but she wasn't looking for him. She looked to the village, seeing the same view that had caused Sasuke to take action. She gasped and her hand flew up to her open mouth.

When the shock wore off, she felt the urge to follow Sasuke and lend a hand with whatever was going on. But she stifled this urge. If it was anything other than a normal fire, the entire Uchiha family may be at risk. Her mind cataloged everyone who might have a beef with at least Sasuke and her mind drew up a long list. She then thought of all that might want to get their hands on at least one of the Uchiha's and she drew another long list. If she was to just run off, she would be leaving the kids unprotected. Not to mention that Sakura is currently carrying a Uchiha child and in her current state she wouldn't be able to defend herself.

Ino took one last look at the village before doing back inside, determined to protect this sleeping family from any harm that might want to come after them.

xOx

Sasuke jumped and landed gracefully on a roof. He was getting closer and from the looks of it, the trouble seemed to outside the gates. The dark clouds from the fire was thicker here, telling him he was very close.

"YO! TEME!" He heard from behind him and he had no doubt who it was. He turned and saw Naruto running toward him, dressed in complete ninja gear but his ridiculous sleeping cap still on his head. He skid to a halt next to him. "What's going on!?"

Sasuke looked to the dark cloud again. "I don't know yet. I'm heading over there now." he said calmly.

Naruto nodded. "Let's go!" he shouted and they both leapt into the air at the same instant, running at full speed.

They arrived quickly, and as Sasuke had thought, it was outside the gate. The night air was covered in thick dark clouds as several trees were laying on their side on fire. Kunai and shuriken lay discarded on the ground. There were people all around, all Konoha shinobi. Some were sweating profusely in the August heat combined with the burning trees as they attempted to put them out, others were scouting the trees, looking for clues or hidden enemy.

"Neji!" Naruto suddenly shouted, and started waving his hands around. Sasuke looked at Naruto first and then in the direction he was looking in and saw Neji heading toward them. He had dark smears on his face and body from the flames but otherwise looked to be in no pain. "What happened!?" Naruto asked as soon as Neji was close enough.

"Some sort of attack. Apparently they didn't put up a big fight and fled before anyone was harmed on either side." he said, looking around at the chaos.

"Does anyone know who they were?" Sasuke asked.

Neji looked at him. "I'm sure someone does but I didn't get here early enough to find out." he said.

Naruto looked around at everyone working. "Is there anyone out looking for them?" he asked, completely serious for once.

Neji nodded. "There are several groups scanning the forest for both the enemy and any sort of enemy. So far there has been no report on anything." Neji said and Naruto scowled.

Sasuke glanced to his side before turning his attention to one of the burning trees. It was fairly close to him and he could feel the heat of it from where he stood. He watched the flame flicker out and consume the wood. But in that moment, the wind blew and little orange flecks blew away from the flame and drifted momentarily in the wind before the little fleck cooled and turned to ash before hitting the ground. The wind blew again and he watched another batch do the same, only this time his mind registered something that it hadn't before.

When the wind blew there was a sudden sound that Sasuke's ear picked up. It was so quiet that he had missed it the first time, but he heard it this time because the gust of wind was stronger than the last. A gently chine sounded from somewhere behind him and he turned.

The forest behind him was completely devoid of any shinobi working. It was dark and almost sinister looking at this time. Another gust of wind blew and Sasuke listened car dully, his ears picking up the same sound. Without much thought, he followed the familiar sound, barely registering the sound of Naruto shouting at him in confusion.

He kept moving, even when he heard the sounds of Neji and Naruto following him. His eyes scanned the dark trees and every leaf and every twig. He searched everything completely.

He pushed passed a tree and the wind blew again and the familiar chine sounded again, this time much closer. Sasuke instinctively turned to the sound and froze, staring at a tree.

Neji and Naruto were next to him in the next moment and they stared at him questionably. "What's wrong, Teme?" he asked but Sasuke didn't answer, instead standing frozen.

Naruto looked to Neji in confused and noticed that Neji had froze as well, staring at something like Sasuke was. Naruto turned slowly and tensed.

There was a fan, the bold red and white colors that represent the Uchiha clan, pinned to the tree. There was a kunai through the center of the fan, something that could only mean one thing. Sasuke took a deep breath and reached out and pulled the kunai out. The fan dropped to the ground as Sasuke started at the weapon in his hand.

It was beautifully made, probably made for decoration purposes rather than for actual use. The handle was expertly made with a snake wrapped around it, made with distinct details. There was a single bell hanging from the handle by a thing sting. Sasuke recognized this bell, as he had become so attuned to it in his time in the Sound village.

Sasuke had one of the bells hanging in his room during his time with Orochimaru. Whenever the sick man needed to talk to him, the bell would go off in his room, telling Sasuke that he was being summoned. This happened a lot. Usually it was for Orochimaru's way of telling him it was time to train, he had a mission, he needed to inform him of something or to punish him for something he had done.

Even now, almost a full year since he fled with his son from the clutches of that man, Sasuke's ears were still attuned to the stupid bell. Orochimaru wanted him to find this kunai, he was sure. Only Sasuke would be able to hear it from the distance he was at. Orochimaru had no doubt that Sasuke would find it. The man was sending a message. A kunai through the fan. It could only mean one thing.

Orochimaru was still after the Uchiha bloodline.

Sasuke glared at the weapon in his hand. The snake couldn't think that Sasuke would come back to him. He may be sick, but he wasn't stupid. So he would go after the kids. But Mikoto was put in his care after he left so Orochimaru probably didn't know about her, so she was probably safe. And Sakura was probably safe as well. He was probably going to go after Seto, completely unaware of the Mikoto and probably the even stronger one growing inside Sakura.

Sasuke glanced wordlessly at Naruto. Without having to say a thing, Naruto stuck out his hand. Sasuke handed the kunai to him and Naruto grabbed the fan from the ground. "I'll go show Tsunade right away. You go back to your family." he said in a completely serious tone. Sasuke nodded.

"Until we are sure that no more enemies are hiding in the forest you should be on alert." Neji added.

Sasuke nodded, already aware of all of this. He glanced at them both and then nodded once, turning on his heel and sprinting away.

xOx

Ino stood in Seto's room, staring out at the village. She anxiously waited for any news. She glanced down at Seto's sleeping form and then sighed. She calmly made her way into Mikoto's room, checking on the sleeping child. Afterward, she visited Sakura.

She sighed in releif when she saw Sasuke running toward the house after she exited the master suite. She didn't have to wait long for him to met her in the hallway. "So what happened?" she asked.

Sasuke shook his head and walked into Mikoto's room with Ino following behind. Silently, he gently lifted her sleeping form from the crib and passed her to the confused Ino. She took the child into her arms and frowned, badgering with questions though he ignored them. He pulled the crib into the hall and then into the master suite. Ino glared at him and whispered to him hashing. "What happened and what are you doing?" she asked as he silently passed the crib by the bed. He then moved over to her and gently took Mikoto and placed her in the crib.

He moved to Seto's room next and Ino followed angrily. "Sasuke!" she called in a harsh whisper.

He turned and looked at her. "I'll tell you in the morning. For now, just shut up." he snapped and then gently pulled Seto into his arms.

She stared at him in shock and confusion as he marched passed her and disappeared into the bedroom again. She turned slowly and followed. When she reached the doorway, Sasuke was laying Seto down on the bed and covered him up. He checked Mikoto quickly and then checked Sakura, who had slept through the entire thing.

He glanced up at her then and gave one nod, his way of telling her that she could go to sleep again and thanks. She stared at him for a moment, and then decided to just listen. "I expect a full explanation in the morning."

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**i'm so tired. Please tell me what you think. There hasn't been a chapter like this before and i'm worried that it was just to sudden. Tell me your thoughts please. Good, bad, i dont care. Flame me if you would like. Just give me something to work with so i can better my writing.**


	34. Chapter 34

**hey. Not really in the mood to talk much. Someone at school stole my Zune (and basicly my life) out of my bag at school on Friday. And quite frankly, i'm not taking it too well. My Zune was my life. I took it everwhere. It housed all my music (the thing i turn to when my mood is funky or if it is happy) and my videos, and my pictures. I love that thing. I had pictures of all my family in there, making it extremely personal to me. And i'm just appalled that someone would take that from me. I didn't do a thing to anyone in that class. I try to be a nice person, even when i'm in a funky mood and i'm considerate to everyone even when someone needs to be told off. I don't understand why someone would take something so personal from me. I had the thing for two years and i got it for my birthday after lusting after one for entire year. But someone didn't care about how personal it was to me when they took it. Do they know how much i'm hurting right now!? I cried the entire morning on Saturday!**

**I hope whoever stole it listens to that shitty rap music (no offense but that is my opinion. Do not attack me for it because i will not take it back.)that is out now a days and is severely disappointed with my awesome taste of music. I also hope that they don't have the Zune software and can't delete all my music and is stuck listening to it. Then i hope it will die on them and that the headphones that they stole with my Zune pops and you can't hear anything anymore. And then i hope karma bites them in the ass big time for all the hurt and suffering they have caused me. Burn in hell bastard.**

**My editing for this chapter sucks.**

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Tsunade stood in her office, staring out the large window with a frown on her face. She stared at the dark cloud of smoke by the gates with narrowed eyes. She didn't know who caused it or why, but she was determined to get everything under control.

Her eyes narrowed even more. It didn't make sense. Someone took the time to attack in the middle of the night but there was no really big damage. They went through the trouble to start a fight, make a big mess out of the trees nearby, but everyone unharmed. A shinobi had reported that there was a confrontation, but the enemy made sure not to put a scratch on their opponents. It didn't make sense. Why would they go through the trouble just to leave everyone unharmed and flee before a large confrontation could occur?

"TSUNADE!" she heard someone yell and the sounds of someone running. Seconds later the door to her office burst open and Naruto sprinted to her desk. "Tsunade! I I have important news!" he shouted.

She stared at him blankly. "If you come to tell me there is a fire, I already know." she stated, gesturing to the window.

Naruto glared for a moment and she expected some sort of retort from him. But he suddenly lapsed into a very serious mood, much to her surprise and she immediately gave him her full attention.

He fished something out of his pocket and placed hem on the center of her desk, on top of the many papers she had on her desk. She stared at the objects for a moment, trying to understand the significance. A fan with a hole in in and a kunai with a bell tied to it. She glanced up at Naruto's hard expression and then back down at the objects. Surely she was missing something.

And then it clicked when she finally noticed the intricate snake wrapped around the kunai's handle. She eyes narrowed instinctively. She looked up at Naruto, understanding why he was so serious. "Sasuke found it in the forest, pinned to a tree." he informed her.

She stared back down at the objects and picked up the kunai, flipping it in her hand. It suddenly all made sense. The reason they attack was not to try and take down the village. No, they were just there to draw attention to them. Orochimaru was sending a message and the bell attacked told her it was for Sasuke.

"Where is Sasuke now?" she asked, still staring at the weapon in her hand.

"He ran home as soon as he found it. He didn't want to leave his family unprotected."

Tsunade nodded. They still weren't sure if Orochimaru was planning to attack tonight. In the state Sakura was in, she couldn't protect the kids or even herself and the baby. And while Ino was strong, she was probably no match for anyone Orochimaru would send to deal with an Uchiha. Sasuke was the only one who could protect that family right now, so it was best that he be with them.

She tightened her grip on the kunai momentarily before letting it fall back onto the desk. With a deep sigh, she fell backwards into her chair. "Shit." she cursed.

xOx

The morning light filtered into the room and hit Sakura's sleeping face. She scrunched her face and turned away but she was already awake. She mentally cursed. As the pregnancy progressed, it was getting harder to get a good night's sleep. She had slept exceptionally well last night and she was hesitant to fully wake up.

She exhaled slowly and turned when she felt the bed shift behind her. She turned, expecting to find Sasuke but instead found Seto sleeping peacefully next to her, the blanket wrapped around his limbs and not covering him anymore. She stared at him in confusion for a moment before she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.

Sasuke stood at the window with one hand holding it open so he could peer out and the other holding Mikoto's sleeping form. Her head rested on his shoulder and her arms were wrapped around his neck, one gripping his shirt and the other hanging loosely. It was a cute sight and Sakura took a moment to admire it.

Sasuke had his back to her, so he didn't see her staring at him. He seemed to be thinking really hard about something for he usually noticed when she stared. She glanced quickly around the room, noticing the crib by the bed and some discarded clothes on the ground. She glanced back at Sasuke, noticing that he was completely dressed, complete with all his gear. This fact alarmed her but then she noticed that he clothes was slightly dirty, like he had been really clothes to a big fire since his white shirt had black smudges on it.

But before she could do anything, the bedroom door opened and Ino stepped up next to him. She was dressed as well, looking like she was completely awake even though it was still early, a strange thing for her. She tugged on his sleeve to get his attention. His head whipped around and his entire body tensed for a moment before he relaxed. Ino waited patiently for him to calm down.

When he seemed calm again she spoke. "I've waited all night. Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on now?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment and Sakura thought he wasn't going to answer but he sighed. "Orochimaru's back." he stated rather calmly.

Ino took a step back and placed her hand over her mouth to prevent herself from yelling. She took a moment to control herself while Sakura laid frozen in both shock and fear. Ino narrowed her eyes at Sasuke. "What!?" she whispered harshly.

Sakura clenched her eyes closed, not wanting to hear the rest, but at the same time she knew she had to. There was a pause and Sakura feared the next words that would come out of his mouth. "There was an attack outside the gates last night." he began and Sakura clenched her eyes closed even tighter. "No one was hurt but they made a big mess with the trees near by and there was a big fire." he said.

She heard Ino take a step, probably closer to him. "But what about Orochimaru? What does that have to do with him?"

"I found a Uchiha fan pinned to a tree with a kunai that had a snake around the handle. He was sending me a message." Sasuke stated calmly and Sakura could just picture him staring out the window blankly.

"A message?" Ino whispered loudly.

"Yes. He still wants the Uchiha bloodline."

There was a long pause and Sakura tensed. Her mind worked franticly to understand everything. There was an attack last night. Sasuke found the snake's message. He wants the Uchiha bloodline. Her family was in danger. Her fiancé was in danger as well as her two kids. Pain gripped her at the thought.

But before she could really dwell on these thoughts, she heard Ino speak again. "Sakura. . . ." she trailed off and Sakura was sure she was discovered. But even though he thought she was discovered to be eavesdropping, she couldn't move.

"She should be safe. Orochimaru doesn't know about Mikoto yet, so she should be safe as well. And he'll probably go for Seto." he said, just as calmly as he was before.

But this state of calm seemed to piss Ino off. "And you're okay with that!? How can you just stand there and be so calm when there is a sick man after your son!? And what if he doesn't go for Seto!? What if he takes goes for Sakura!? We both know that baby inside of her is going to be a strong one! It's parents are strong enough to be the next sannins and it seems to already some strange traits of it's parents. That kid is going to be a strong one and if Orochimaru sees that, he might switch up his game and go after it." she continued to whisper harshly but she started to fade away.

Sakura felt cold. It had never occurred to her that the baby was in danger. In her mind, her little boy was safe inside her womb. But as Ino so kindly pointed out, the baby was in danger. She sat frozen in fear, unable to form any idea as to get them out of this situation. She was unable to even form a proper thought. Words repeated over and over in her head, shouting at her.

Her baby was in danger.

"I'll handle it." Sasuke stated simply.

Ino glared harshly at him and raised her voice, no longer whispering. "You'll handle it!? You're kidding me, right?"

Sasuke turned his head slowly to look at her, glaring at her. "Ino, shut it. It's early." he stated and then turned his attention back out the window. "I'll take care of everything. Even if it means I have to go back to sound and take him out." he stated calmly, though as if he was telling himself more than Ino.

Sakura's eyes widened and tears gushed out, finally unfreezing her. "N-no." she choked out and both teens turned to look at her. They had looks of surprise on their faces as if they hadn't known she was listening. She slowly shook her head. "No. You can't leave me again." she whispered in distress.

Sasuke stared at her with wide eyes for a moment before he gently passed the sleeping Mikoto to Ino and slowly went to the soon-to-be-mother's side. Careful not to disturb Seto, he sat down and pulled her into his arms. She clutched him closely and cried into his chest.

"Shh. It's okay. Everything will be okay. I will protect this family. He said, trying to comfort her.

She chocked and then clutched him tighter before looking up at him with a tear stained face. "N-no. D-don't l-leave me. Not n-now." she sobbed.

He was silent for a moment, only holder her tightly. She stared at his carefully blank face for a moment before she tucked her head back into his chest. She hated to think that he would leave her again and what it would do to her if he did. He knew how much she would suffer and she was sure he wouldn't do that to her again. He was probably going to stay by her side, protecting her from danger that might come after them.

But if Tsunade knew about this message, she would send out a team sooner or later to take Orochimaru out. Of course Sasuke wouldn't be apart of that team, instead staying home with her for the final stretch of her pregnancy. She comforted herself with these thoughts, knowing that the threat that hangs over their heads will soon be gone.

But after more thought, she became anxious. Tsunade would send out her best to take care of this problem. And while Sasuke is definitely one of the best, he was on probation so he would not be able to go. But that didn't mean that Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru and many other friend of hers would not be sent out. She clutched Sasuke tighter and prayed that they all would return safely when they are all shipped out.

They sat there for a long while, the sun rising higher in the sun. Ino sat atop the dresser against the wall. She had placed Mikoto back into her crib awhile ago but felt the need to stay in the bedroom with the young family. Seto still slept peacefully next to them, finally starting to kick the habit of waking up extremely early and now was able to sleep till noon if no one disturbed him.

Sasuke sat in the same position as earlier, not moving an inch even though his back had started to hurt a long while ago. After her tears had dried up, Sakura had laid back down, her head resting in his lap while she clutched his waist, and had fallen back asleep. He gently started to stroke her hair, careful not to wake her.

The sound of a slamming door suddenly met their ears and both awake teens tensed. They listened as nosily footstep ran up the stairs and Sasuke relaxed, recognizing the familiar chakra. The door swung open a few moments later, causing Ino to jump slightly, and Naruto stumbled gracefully into the room. Sasuke shook his head slowly while Ino took a calming breath.

Naruto grinned, slightly embarrassed for his elegantly entrance. He starched the back of his head sheepishly. He chuckled nervously. Sasuke turned and looked at him. "Is there a reason you came so gracefully into my house in such a rush." he said with an edge to his voice, worried that they were not safe.

Naruto glared for a moment, insulted by his mocking, before getting to business. "Not really. I came to tell you that it seems that the enemies have completely fled and that you guys are safe. There is no danger of an enemy hiding nearby at present."

Sasuke nodded wordlessly, feeling relieved. "Did you talk to Tsunade?" he asked.

The blonde nodded animatedly. "Yeah. She knows everything and now is trying to figure out what to do." he said.

Sasuke nodded once and then turned his attention to Sakura again. She was still sleeping peacefully, seeming to not have a care in the world. He sighed and started to cautiously untangle himself from her hold. She stirred for a moment, but did not wake up. She did however loosen her hold on him and he was able to slip out without waking her.

He stretched and then walked out the door, gently tugging at Naruto's sleeve stealthily. The tug was very discreet. To Ino, who was on the other side of the room watching, it just looked like Naruto was blocking her way and he clipped him slightly as he made his way out. Naruto, however, knew better. Sasuke was telling him to follow him, but he did not say it out loud because he didn't want Ino to follow as well.

Sasuke disappeared from the room and Naruto hovered in the room for a minute or so, making conversation with Ino. After a few minutes, he excused himself to use the bathroom, exclaiming rather loudly "I have to piss!" to Ino who scolded him for being so loud and telling her something she did not want to know. She grinned sheepishly and exited the room, heading downstairs.

Sasuke was standing in the kitchen, holding a warm cup of black coffee in his hand. He stared at the warm dark liquid for a long while, even as Naruto came and sat on the counter next to him, before slowly taking a sip. Naruto watched him, completely silent for he knew his friend was upset and there was nothing he could say to cheer him up. He had a distant look in his eyes, Naruto noticed before he stared at the wall across from him, waiting for his friend to collect his thoughts.

They stood like this for a few moments before Sasuke finally turned to him, and Naruto looked back at him. He had a determined look in his eyes now, and Naruto had a feeling he knew what was coming next.

"I want you to tell Tsunade that I want to go on the mission to take Orochimaru out." he stated so quietly that Naruto barely heard it.

"What?"

"You and I both know that you will be sent on that mission. I want to go too and I'm not taking no as an answer."

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. "But you are still on probation. There is not way she will let you go."

Sasuke's eyes darkened. "Well, I'm going one way or another. She can let me go or I can slip away again. Either way, I'm going to take him out."

Naruto frowned. He didn't doubt Sasuke would do such a thing and he knew Tsunade wouldn't doubt it either. And Naruto saw that she would take this in only two ways. One way, she will frown but give in, knowing that the two work well together and that he will find a way to do this himself, and let me go. Or she could become very angry with him and send ANBU to guard him twenty four seven, not letting get away.

Naruto sighed. "I'll relay the message."

xOx

The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully. Sakura awoke later on and knowing that Sasuke would not leave her and that everything would work itself out, was rather peaceful considering everything. She was still a little anxious and worried about what was to happen to the team that was sent out, but she forced it out of her mind. She would worry about it on a later day.

Sasuke, who was still extremely tense about the whole thing, put on a façade for the sake of Sakura and the kids. He knew that it was going to confuse and hurt Seto when his father suddenly has to leave, especially with no promise to come back. He knew the risks involved and he wasn't foolish enough to tell his son that he will be back when in fact he very well may die if he is not careful.

And he knew that it was going to absolutely crush Sakura. He already left her once before and after so much happiness and promises for the future, he was going to have to leave again to protect their family. He knew it was not going to be pretty and that he was going to hurt her very much, but it was something he had to do. He only hoped that she would forgive him.

Sasuke sighed, picking up the dishes from the table. Sakura grabbed some as well and followed behind him to the sink.

Ino giggled, looking at Seto. He had somehow managed to get sauce all over his face in his attempt to eat dinner. She stood up and held out her hand to him. "Come on, little man. Let's get you cleaned up." she said.

He frowned and wiped his white sleeve against his face. He smeared it across his cheek and stained his sleeve. "But I'm clean now." he protested.

Ino stared at him incredulously. "Oh yeah, so clean." she mocked and then gently took his hand. "Now come one." she told him and he grudgingly obliged. If it was one thing he hated, it was to clean himself up.

They left the room and Sasuke scooped up the remainder of the dishes off the table. He walked over to the sink, and placed them in the soapy water and began scrubbing away, not saying a word.

Sakura watched him for a moment and then wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him from behind. He frozen for a moment, not expecting her touch, but relaxed. She rested her head against his back, trying to comfort him. She could tell he was upset and she wanted to comfort him like he comforted her so many times.

"It's okay. Everything is going to be okay." she whispered.

Sasuke closed his eyes, wishing desperately that her words were true. But at this moment, he wasn't sure about anything anymore. And he was scared.

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**So what did you think? Like? Dislike? Tell me.**

**And reviews would be greatly appreciated right now. They always make me smile and i need to smile.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Hello. I know. i'm horrible. i've been trying to update for awhile but it hasne't been working out. Sorry. Well since i last updated i got sick. Twice. So i spent a lot in time in bed. Like i literally got sick and then passed on to my sister who then apssed it back to me in a matter of days. Thats so much fun. Also since i last updated i turned 15 (yup. My bithday was on October 29th), so that was fun. Yup Yup. God. I had like the biggest list of things i wanted to tell you all about but i can't frickin remember. And of course, i didn't write any of it down. I really have to work on that.**

**Otay, i'm just going to say what i can remember. This chapter contains some Paramore content. I got the inspiration by sitting in the basement and blaring My Heart over and over while i wrote this. So, yeah. If you are a paramore i put like three lines from the song in the chapter. **

**Also, this chapter may not go well with people. Sorry. Maybe? Idk.**

**Enjoy. Oh and one more thing. Seriously people, go on youtube and look up LIVELAVALIVE. Seriuosly, those two guys are hilarious. They are my new crack. lol**

**Now enjoy.**

**oh wait. one last thing. AHOY BUTTERNUTS!!!! **

**Now that i said that, you can finally enjoy the chapter. I made it a bit longer. (but only a bit. A microscopic bit at best)**

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Tsunade glared at the blonde in front of her. He smiled sheepishly at her in response, giving her a look to say that he was passing a message along and not to eat him. He laughed nervously. "Yeah. . . . . Well that's Teme for you . . ." he trailed off, clearly wanting to get out of there.

She took a deep breath and tried to suppress her angry. She waved her hand dismissively, silently telling him to get out of her sight. He sighed in relief and turned quickly towards the door. He had to door open and slammed closed in a second. "Bye, Granny!" he shouted, his voice clear as day even though the door was closed between them and he was running away.

There was a moment of peace in the room before she exploded. She stood up abruptly, her chair flying backwards in responds, and she slammed her fists onto her desk. The wooden desk groaned in protest and for one fleeting moment she thought she had broken it, but it stayed intact. The papers and files, and other assortments on her desk, however, were on the ground, some broken, others just a huge mess around the room.

She clenched her fists. Damn that Uchiha Brat! He just had to make her life so much more difficult. Not only had he brought danger into her village by escaping Orochimaru and hiding here, he complicated the whole thing by bringing kids into the mix. And if two innocent young kids were not enough, he decided to fall in love with the daughter-she-never-had and impregnate her.

And then to add to it, he has Naruto pass a message to her. A message saying that he wanted to take Orochimaru out and he wants to be on the team she was dispatching. But really irritating thing is that he did not request it. He _demanded_ it.

She wanted to hurt him severely right now. He had to know what it would do to Sakura for him to take on this mission. What was he thinking? He has a good thing going and he could be risking it all!

She took several deep breath to calm herself. She had to think this through logically. She already had an idea who was going to go on the mission. Naruto was an obvious pick, as well as Neji. They would need some brain power as well, so Shikamaru could do it. Maybe Lee or Kiba as well. And Sasuke would be a great asset as well, with his strength and knowledge of the sound nation. But with everything that was going on at home, would it be wise to let him go?

She sighed. Who was she kidding? He was going to find a way to do this himself. He is an Uchiha. They are all stubborn by nature. So if she said no, he was still going to do it. He wasn't giving her an option.

"Damn it." she cursed silently and the sighed as she looked at the mess of her office. She surveyed the mess and then moved around it to stand in front of the window. She stared at the dark night and her sleeping village. She would call the team to her office in the morning, she concluded.

xOx

Sakura hummed along with the radio and swayed her hips, dancing around in the kitchen. It was early in the morning, the sun was out, the birds were chirping, it was warm out. It was looking like a good day. She turned the radio up another notch, dancing around to the happy beat. The baby happily kicked in response, able to feel movement and understand that she was dancing.

Sasuke groggily walked into the kitchen, having just woken up and looked at her. She had a spatula in one hand, an apron wrapped around her bulging stomach and was already dressed for the day. She seemed to be in a great mood, having decided that she wanted to wear a white sundress. She had top portion of her hair pulled up into a simple clip while the rest hung loose at the base of her neck, reaching down to her mid-back. She wore light make-up on her face, telling Sasuke that was in a really good mood or else she wouldn't have bothered. He smirked, and leaned against the doorframe, and watched the beautiful angel in front of him.

She danced her way over to the fridge and opened it, and began to dig throw it for a moment. When she closed it, something caught her eye and she stared at the reflection of Sasuke on the smooth surface of the door. She spun around, feeling the baby start to kick excitedly inside her and she blushed. "Good morning, babe. How much of that did you happen to see?" she asked, embarrassed.

She smirked playfully. "Not as much as I would have liked." he said and then pushed away from the doorframe, moving towards her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and gently kissed her forehead before planted a chaste kiss on her lips. He let go then, taking the spatula out of her hand and moved over to the stove.

"Oh, no you don't!" Sakura exclaimed and then rushed toward him. He stared at her in surprise as she tried to wrestle the utensil out of his hand. "You always cook! I want to cook you breakfast for once!"

Sasuke shook his head and raised his arm above his head, successfully putting the cooking tool out of her reach. "Nope. I'm taking over." he stated calmly.

Sakura glared playfully. "No you're not!" she said playfully elbowed him in the ribs. He brought up one hand to rest on his ribs and prevent any farther attacks while he held the other out of reach still. Sakura eyed him. "I don't like you." she stated and then wheeled around, turning her back to him, and crossed her arms over her chest.

Sasuke smirked and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder. "You love me and you know it." he whispered into her ear, causing her to shiver. He smirked and started to sway their bodies slowly along with the beat of the song still playing on the radio. It was a song he knew so he began to sing it softly in her ear. Sakura relaxed, forgetting she was upset, and swayed along with him, loving his voice.

They continued like this for a few moments more before they heard someone clear their throat. Sasuke, not wanting to let go, turned both of them around to face the doorway and their guest. Naruto and Neji stood there, Neji seeming to be slightly hesitant to interrupt their moment while Naruto stood, completely his goofy self, not caring the slightest.

Sakura smiled welcomingly at them. "Oh, good morning. I was just about to fix breakfast. Would you like to join us?" she asked them, her head resting against Sasuke's shoulder.

Neji opened his mouth to speak but Naruto rushed to beat him to it. "Nah. Neji and I just came to steal Sasuke for a early morning training session." he shouted in a rushed tone, and then smiled sheepishly.

Sasuke eyed them both, seeing Neji's confused expression and the knowing look Naruto gave him. It took a moment for him to process this and then he quickly detached himself from Sakura and nodded. "Right." he muttered and then rushed to go get dressed. Sakura blinked in confusion, staring at where he disappeared to.

Naruto laughed nervously. "Stupid Teme, he forgot. Now he's rushing." he said, trying to cover them. Sakura stared at him for a moment and then nodded, excepting the story. She turned and walked back to the fridge, intent on making breakfast for her and Ino. She frowned, her face bunching in concern. "Hey, you two are probably going to be assigned to the sound mission, right?" she asked.

Naruto froze. Neji eyed him and then nodded, answering for him. She pursed her lips. "Be careful, okay. I know that it's going to be dangerous and I don't want you two, or anyone else, to get hurt." she said.

Naruto laughed nervously, once he was able to unfreeze. "Don't worry about it. I'm the best there is. I'll watch everyone's back." he said, through nervous laughs. Neji stayed quiet, eying him.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. You always try to be the best and watch out for everyone else that you make stupid mistakes. Just be careful, okay." she said.

Naruto pouted childishly. "Hey! I do not!"

She looked at him with a disbelieving look on her face. "Sure you don't." She turned on her heels and headed to the counter, the ingredients for breakfast in her hand. "If Sasuke was going I would probably worry less about you making a stupid mistake. He seems to be able to keep you in line most of the time." she said nonchalantly, but caused Naruto to freeze and for Neji to stop.

"'If' Sasuke was going . . ." Neji trailed off.

Sakura nodded and then briefly glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah, I know he probably is dieing to go but with the baby coming and all . . ." she trailed off, working at mixing the ingredients.

"Yeah." Neji muttered, eying the frozen Naruto.

Sasuke came rushing into the kitchen at that moment, completely dressed. He rushed to the counter and grabbed a to-go coffee mug, and poured a cup, and grabbed the lid. He then moved over to Sakura and hugged her quickly from behind and gave her a peck on the cheek. She turned to give him a real hug but he was already moving away and she had to yank him back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a powerful kiss on his lips.

It took a moment for Sasuke to collect himself, even after she pulled away. She smiled mischievously at him. "Don't overwork yourself. Save your strength for some alone time later." she whispered to him.

Sasuke's eyes widened and stilled. It took a moment for him to collect his thoughts and with a deep breath he kissed her gently and detached himself from her. "I'll see you later. Don't overwork yourself and let Ino do things for you." he said, as he and the boys rushed toward the door.

"You baby me." she called after him and then turned back to the stove.

The boys took to the roofs and rushed to Tsunade's office. Naruto frowned. "I don't like lying to her, Teme." he called to him.

Sasuke frowned as well. "I know."

"She's under the impression that you won't leave her." Neji called, as they all landed on the roof of an apartment complex. They ran at full speed to the edge and then jumped to the next building.

Sasuke sighed. "I'll tell her. After the mission briefing. I'll tell her." he said, though it sounded more like he was talking to himself.

Naruto shook his head. "It's going to break her heart."

Sasuke's steps faltered for a moment and he crushed his eyes closed, his fists clenched. "I know." he muttered.

xOx

The team slowly assembled. Neji leaned against the wall in Tsunade's office by the door and Lee, who had gotten there first, was doing crunches in the middle of the room. Naruto and Kiba sat lazily on the couch, counting Lee's crunches out of boredom. Akamaru slept next to Kiba's feet and Shikamaru sat leaning against one of the walls, sleeping comfortable. Sasuke stood by the window, slowly drinking his coffee while they waited for Tsunade to come in.

They had already been there for an hour and it was another half hour before Tsunade and Shizune walked into the room. The men turned to look as Tsunade made her way over to her desk and Shizune stood next to her. The room was completely still for a moment before Tsunade turned to glare at Sasuke, the only one who stood behind her. Sasuke rolled his eyes and moved away from the window to the middle of the room.

Once Sasuke moved the other's moved as well. Soon they were all standing in a straight line in front of Tsunade's desk. She looked over them, once again stopping and glaring at Sasuke. He stared back, not knowing the reason for her glare. She eyed his hand. "Why do you have a drink in my office?"

Sasuke sighed. "It's early and I need coffee." he stated.

She glared for a moment. "Get rid out it." she ordered, expecting him to go put it in the hall. Instead he brought the cup to his lips and started chugging. Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him, and Naruto giggled. Tsunade quickly silence him with a glare and then turned her attention back to Sasuke.

When he drank the last of it, he let out a gust of air and then stepped forward to place the empty cup on the edge of her desk. She glared at him even more. "All gone." Sasuke muttered.

"Do you think you're funny, Uchiha?" she asked in a menacing voice.

Sasuke stood unfazed. "Not particularly."

The pencil that Tsunade was holding snapped in half as she clenched her fists around it. "Watch it, Uchiha. You're not my favorite person at the moment and I have little patience."

Sasuke nodded, choosing not to push his luck. Naruto giggled again and Tsunade turned her attention to him again. "That goes for you too, Uzumaki." Naruto froze and then elbowed Sasuke. Sasuke just eyed him, listening to how Naruto mumbled something about the "Teme getting him in trouble."

Tsunade cleared her throat and put on a very business-y tone. The boys started paying more attention. "Okay, you all know why you are here." she began. "I have chosen you six men to go and take Orochimaru out. It is your job to find him and take him out before he can cause any farther damage. It will not be easy, but that is why I have chosen who I think will have the best chance to do so.

"We have no definite idea as to where you will find him. It is your job to hunt him down and take him out. Your best bet is to check out the numerous Sound bases scattered around the area. Because you will be searching for him, the mission will take a lot of time. The mission could last as a minimum of a few weeks and can go on for months. If you exceed a certain amount of time with no success, I may send a messenger to call you back. But be prepared for a lengthy mission.

"The risks are extremely high. While you are out there you will be, for the most part, on your own. There are an unknown number of skilled shinobi out there waiting for our move and you will be their target. You are all equipped with basic first-aid knowledge, but because of certain circumstances here in the village, their will no medic-nin to accompany. If you run into trouble that you are not able to handle, you could send a messenger to alert the village, but back-up may not arrive in time. You will have to watch each other's back's very carefully. But even with that, some of you may not come back. You will truly be sacrificing a lot, maybe even yourself, for the good of your village."

She was silent for a moment, looking at each one of them. Their expressions were carefully blank. She took a deep breath. "Any questions?" she asked.

They were all still for a long moment. Tsunade waited patiently, but no one made a move. She sighed, about to move on when Sasuke spoke.

"Will you protect Sakura and my family while I am gone?"

She looked at his blank face and then spoke in a serious tone. "I don't want to cause her stress by posting guards outside the house or assigning a stranger to live with her while you are gone. I think it would be best for the girls to move in with her while you are away and protect her while also providing the support that only a friend could. They will be able to keep he calm and support her while you are gone, watching over for enemy threat and also any danger of premature labor." She said and Sasuke nodded quietly.

"Any other questions?" she asked and waited, but got no response.

She moved on. "Understanding the risks, are there anyone who would like to back out of the mission?" she asked, and briefly glanced at over the boys before staring directly at Sasuke. He stood still, no sign of a wavering mindset. Naruto nudged him slightly, but Sasuke held his ground. Tsunade sighed and ran her hand over her eyes. Naruto sighed in defeat as well.

"Okay. You will leave in three days. You have until Sunday morning to pack and prepare. You will meet at the gates at dawn and will leave as soon as all of you are assembled." she said, in a dead voice. "Understood?" she asked and received nods from each of them. "Good. Now get out of here." she ordered and then slumped forward on the desk while the boys moved.

"And take your stupid cup with you!" she shouted as a afterthought.

xOx

Sasuke stalled getting home. After the meeting he went for a walk around the village to clear his head and try to figure out a way to tell her. By the time he got home, it was already dark and he hadn't come up with anything. He walked into the house and was greeted with sounds of talking from the kitchen and the smell of food. Sasuke sighed and took off his hoes and slowly walked to the kitchen.

Sakura and Ino were setting the table, dinner ready and sitting on the stove, waiting to be served. They were chatting idly, about Seto's play date. He had a play date with a Hyuga child today and was currently with Hinata at the compound. Sakura set down the last plate in her hand and looked up to see Sasuke. She exhaled, in what seemed like relief and then rushed to his side. She pulled him into a tight hug. "I was getting worried! You've been gone all day and you didn't even tell me!"

"Sorry." he muttered. She loosened her grip and then smacked his arm rather harshly.

"Don't do that again!" she shouted and then really looked at him. She saw the expression on his face and froze. It was a long moment before she could speak. "What? I don't like that look. What happened?"

Sasuke sighed and looked over her shoulder to see Ino staring at them. He took a deep breath and pulled her into the hall, the spot where they first kissed and where he had given her the engagement ring. She eyed him curiously while he considered moving to another spot. This was a place of good memories and he didn't want it to be tainted with this. He tried to pull her into the living room but she stood rooted. "What's wrong?"

Sasuke was silent for a long moment and then tried again to move her. She pulled her hand way from him and glared at him. "Why do you keep on pulling me? Stop it. Just tell what's wrong? Did something happen?"

Sasuke sighed. "Yes." he muttered. Her irritation disappeared at the tone of his voice. Something bad was coming.

"What happened?" she whispered and moved her hands to cradle her large stomach. It was irrational, for she would probably be the first one to know if this did happen, but her mind immediately jumped to her baby. She wondered for a fleeting moment if her baby was okay.

Sasuke sighed, struggling for words. She called out his name impatiently and he let out a deep breath. Not finding any way around it, he figured he might as well tell it straight. "In three days I will be leaving with Naruto and the boys to go take out Orochimaru."

She stared at him blankly for a moment and then laughed. It wasn't long before she was having a small laughing fit. "You really had me going for a moment." she choked out between laughs. She wiped at her eyes that had started to tear because of her laugher. Sasuke just waited patiently for her to calm down.

She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "You're so funny!" she said, smiling brightly. He didn't smile back.

She stared at him for a long moment and then her smile faltered. She called out his name uncertainly. He looked at her to meet her eyes, a calm face but a broken look in his eyes. She took in a deep breath.

Before he even had a chance to think, the tears of laughter changed to tears of sorrow and she was balling her eyes out (Sasuke mentally blamed the pregnancy for the whiplash he had just gotten from the mood swing). She shook her head disparately, throwing tears into the air. Sasuke took a deep breath and pulled her into his arms, but she tore her way of them. She took a step back, her face bright red and tear stained. "NO!" she shouted angrily.

"Sakura, love, I -" he tried to say.

"NO! THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN THIS WAY! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO STAY BY MY SIDE AND HELP ME THROUGH THIS PREGNANCY! YOU CAN'T LEAVE US! YOU CAN'T LEAVE THIS FAMILY! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME AGAIN! NO! I CAN'T TAKE IT! IF YOU LEAVE . . . ." she trailed off, her voice breaking and dieing out at the end.

She stood and choked on her sobs, barely holding herself together. Her knees shook and then finally gave out on her. Sasuke reacted quickly and grabbed her because she could fall. But the way he caught her left him unbalanced and he slowly sunk to the ground, holding her in his arms. She sobbing into his chest and gripped his shirt and arm harshly in her hands.

Ino peaked into the hallway to see the two on them sitting on the floor, Sasuke trying to comfort her and Sakura just broken. She stood frozen, not knowing what to do.

Sasuke gently smoothed out her hair, repeatedly running his hands over her head and whispering comforting words to her. But they seemed to do little. "You can't. You can't" she whispered brokenly between her sobs. "You can't."

Sasuke swallowed a lump in his throat and stared at the ceiling in pain. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." he whispered brokenly. Sakura choked on a sob in response and cried even harder, unable to do more.

They all sat there for an unknown amount of time, the time it took for Sakura to cry herself dry. She sat in a broken heap in Sasuke's arms, staring blankly at the wall behind him. "How long is the mission?" she whispered in a hoarse voice.

It took a moment for Sasuke to respond. He wanted so badly to tell her that it wouldn't take long. He wanted to tell her that he would leave and be back before she knew it, but he knew he couldn't. There was no use to get her hopes up. It will only crush her more if he didn't come back. "The very minimum is a few weeks but it could go on for months. The majority of the mission will be searching for him." he muttered, staring at the ceiling.

She whimpered and rubbed her stomach absentmindedly. There another long silence, the only thing moving in the entire house was Sakura. A sudden shriek was heard from upstairs from Mikoto, now awake from her nap and wanting out of her crib. Sasuke turned his stare to the stairs and took a deep breath. Ino pushed away from the doorway and put her hand on Sasuke's shoulder briefly, silently telling him that she had it under control. He sent her a appreciative look.

"What if you miss the birth?" Sakura asked quietly once they were alone. "I don't think I can do it myself."

Sasuke smoothed out her hair once more and his the top of her head. "Yes, you can. You are a strong woman. You can do this." He said, repeating the same words he had told her when they first realized she was pregnant. She noticed and snorted humorlessly. But her eyes welled up with tears as she remembered what he had said next so long ago. _Princess, you can do this. I'll always be right next to you. We can do this. _He lied to her.

One more tear fell from her eyes as she closed her eyes. She took a shakily breath and looked at him in the eyes. "Stay with me. This is what I need. Please." she pleaded once more, though she knew he was not going to give in. A tortured expression crossed his face and he look a shakily breath as well.

"I can't. I'm so sorry, love. _I just can't."_

She looked away. Even knowing what the answer was, it still hurt to hear it. She was silent for a moment. "But you'll come back." she said, looking at him in the eyes again. It was his turn to look away. He wasn't going to promise her anything he couldn't keep. He could very well lose his life and he wasn't going to have her believing that he was just going to walk back through the door again. It would only crush her more if he promised that to her.

He gripped her small frame in his arms. "I love you. Don't ever forget that."

She choked on a sob and tried to fight the onslaught of tears that hit her.

It took a long time for her to collect herself again and wrap her mind around everything. It was determined. Sasuke was going, no matter what she did or how hard she pleaded with him. He was going to leave her when he had a child on the way and two other kids that love him dearly. And he was going to leave that all behind to protect them all and he may never come back.

She clutched him tighter in her arms. These could be the last few days with him. She should have known that finally getting Sasuke was too good to be true. All she got was a few months of happiness before it would be ripped away from her. She shook her head slowly, cursing herself. It must not be her fate to be happily in love. She was going to him again.

And this time, for good.

She suddenly pulled herself out of his arms so that she could look into his eyes. He stared at her as she pulled away completely and stood up, a determined look in her eyes. She wiped at her face, getting rid of a few stray tears. "Come on. Get up. We have to go." she said to him, her voice determined.

"Go? Sakura, even if you go to Tsunade, I'm still going on this mission. She assigned me to this mission and I have to go." he said as gently as he could.

She shook her head. "I know. But I want to marry you before you go." she said, tugging on his arm. He let himself he pulled to his feet. He stared at her questionably.

"But the wedding is in the spring. We can't postpone the mission until then." he said but she was shaking her head again.

"I know. I want to get married right now! I want to be Mrs. Uchiha! I want to have a honeymoon, even if it is only two or three days! I want this!" she said and then gripped his hand with hers. She showed him the ring on her finger. "I want this." she repeated.

He stared at her for a moment, letting it all sink in. He shook his head. "No. We can't just elope. It goes against every tradition in the Uchiha family."

Fresh tears ran down Sakura's face. She took a step closer to him and laid her hands on his chest. "This could be the last few days that we ever have together! I want to be married for it! I want to legally be Seto's and Mikoto's guardian if you don't come back! I want our child to be a Uchiha and not a Uchiha-Haruno! I want to be your wife! I want that to be the last memory of us together!" she shouted desperately.

Sasuke froze and looked the desperate face of his fiancé. "She is already wearing white . . ." Ino trailed off from behind him, having just come down the stairs with Mikoto in her arms. Sasuke looked down at Sakura's clothes, seeing the same white sundress as this morning. He took a deep and nodded.

"Let's get married." he said and pulled her into his arms once again. She laughed shakily as she wiped her face again. He smirked at her and gently stoked her cheek before capturing her lips. It was a passionate kiss that let them both daze when they pulled away. Sakura took a deep breath and smiled up at him. "Let's go get married."

xOx

Naruto and Hinata rested on the couch. After Hinata spent the entire day at the compound, and Naruto spent his training, they both headed to Naruto's apartment. They still had Seto with them, they had agreed for Sasuke to come and pick him up after he broke the news to Sakura. He didn't want Seto in the house when that happened.

Seto had between them, completely tuckered out from his long play date. He drifted in and out of sleep as they watched a cheesy cartoon. Naruto glanced at the clock, wondering if Sasuke had told her yet or if he had chickened out. He hoped Sakura was okay.

Hinata squeezed his hand, noticing his expression. The blonde smiled sheepishly back at her. He opened his mouth to speak but a loud, pounding sounded on his door. Naruto jumped and listened to the frantic pounding. He rushed to the door and pulled it open.

Sasuke stood there, panting heavily as if he had been running. Over his shoulder he could see a group of people waiting for him, an after a closer examination he realized it was the members of the Konoha 12 that were not on a mission. He looked back at Sasuke. If he had gathered most of the Konoha 12, then there must be something up.

"Teme? What's going on?" he asked as Hinata walked up behind him and stared out the door as well.

Sasuke eyed Hinata for a moment. "Good, you're here. Now I don't have to make another trip. The girls are all at the Hokage Tower. They are waiting for you so you should get a move on." he said to her.

Hinata stared at him in confusion for a moment and then her ninja training kicked in and she nodded and grabbed her sweater and rushed passed them.

"Teme! What's going on!? Was there some sort of attack!? Is Sakura okay!?" He shouted, panicking.

Sasuke shook his head. "No. Everyone on is fine. But we have to go to the Hokage Tower right way." he said, pushed passed Naruto and walked over to the couch where Seto laid sleeping. Naruto stared at him in confusion. "Teme! God, Damn it! Just answer me! What's going on!?"

Sasuke looked at him calmly. "Sakura and I are getting married tonight at the Hokage Tower. It's my job to gather Sakura's parents, and the little amount of the Konoha 12 that is in the village so that they can be there. Now as my best man I suggest that you hurry your ass up." he said as he walked passed him again, this time leaving him.

Naruto stood in stunned silence for a moment before he whirled on his heel. "WHAT!!!??? TEME!!!" he shouted after him and the quickly rushed out the door.

xOx

The girls rushed to put the finishing touches on her. Because of the time, they were unable to do much. But since she came to them with a tearstained face, they got her presentable. Sakura smiled and clutched the flowers, that Ino had rushed back to her family's store to get, in her hand. The girls each gave her a hug and then rushed out the door. Her mother lingered in the room.

"This isn't exactly how I saw this day, but I'm still so happy to be here." she said and then gently kissed her daughter's forehead. "I love you, my baby."

"I love you too, mom." Sakura said, smiling at her mother.

Her mother smiled and wiped the tears out of her eyes, before leaving the room. Sakura took a deep breath and then followed her out. Her father waiting on the other side of the door waiting to walk her down the aisle. He didn't say anything to her, but simply gave her a look at expressed everything he was feeling. He was scared, for he was losing his daughter, but he was happy for her, for he knew that she was happy.

She hooked her arm with his and then slowly made there way into the room where everyone was waiting. Sakura kept her eyes on Sasuke, in his regular ninja gear, at the end of the aisle. He stared back, a small smile on his face.

They reached the end of the aisle quickly for it was a small room. As tradition called, Mr. Haruno let go of her hand and gently placed it into Sasuke's awaiting hand. "Remember, whatever happens, you two still have your parents to help you through." He said to the young couple before making his way to his seat.

Sakura took a deep breath and took at her soon-to-be husband. He was staring back at her. He gripped her hand in his. "This heart beats for only you." he said.

"My heart is yours." She whispered in response.

Tsunade stood beside them. "Are you two ready?" she asked.

They looked at each other and smiled, never looking away. "Yeah."

* * *

**Please don't eat me. Review?**

**Ahoy Butternuts?**


	36. Chapter 36

**Well, hello there. How's it going? Good? Bad? Okay? I hope good. And if not, then i hope that by reading this, you are getting excited. Maybe this chapter is just the boost you are lookig for. Or maybe not. I don't know. I could vary with every person.**

**Well, anyways, what do i have to talk about? Hm. . . well i actaully wrote some notes down so i wouldn't completely blank like i usually do. Otay, lets see . . . . otay, i think i will start by saying thank you. Thank you to all my wonderful viewers that took the time out of their busy days to read my crazy shinanigans. And thank you for reviewing. It makes me oh so happy. And also, thank you to all that wished me a happy birthday. That was really noce and make me feel so special! Thank you! **

**And now that i am done saying thnak you, i would like to apologize. I read some reviews and some said i made them angry and cry. I feel bad cause i didn't mean to make you cry. Crying isn't fun at all and i'm sorry that i caused you to do that. I also got some strong reviews like 'HE BETTER NOT DIE'. No litterally, i got a review that said that and nothing more. Not sure if the person was saying that in a fangirl gushing type of way or a 'you better watch your back if you kill him off' kind of way. lol. **

**Moving on, i just want to make it clear that i do plan to go back and revise the entire stroy after it is done. i repeat, I AM GOING TO GO BACK AND REVISE THE ENTIRE STORY AFTER IT IS DONE. I am going to spend a good amount of time revising and rewriting some parts after it is done. I have a lot of errors- and i mean A LOT!!!- and i do plan to fix them later. Like, for example, spelling and grammar. And also, spellcheck mistakes. I have a lot of these. i will type something wrong and then spellcheck will fix it, but it will change it to another word or will miss it because i typed another word when i meant to type another. Example: Fro instead of for. It happens. Or: Dope instead of Dobe. I would write Dobe, but my spellcheck would freakout and automatically switch it with Dope. For the first few cahpters that i used this term, i didn't notice what the spellcheck had done. I now know and fix it when i see it. Sorry.**

**And on a random note, i have to say a few things. I feel good. Like, really good for the first time in awhile. I got my haircut today, i have subway in my stomach and coffee in my hand. I'm not sick, like i usually am, and i'm pretty content with how my day has been. Usually something goes wrong but not today. Knock on wood. In fact, i was feeling so good that i was able to finish the chapter. Yup, it's been a good day.**

**Oh, i don't think i told you this but i got a new Zune! I'm so fucking happy! Its new and its pretty and much better than the last one. The old one that was stolen was an older model so it was bigger, pink and only 30 gigs. The new one is smaller, black, 120 gigs and touch sensative. Plus, my sister still had the Zune software on our computer for her Zune and was able to put everything that was on my old one onto my new one. So i'm pretty frickin happy right now.**

**Speaking of mp3's-which involves music- i had been addicted to some bands for awhile. I have been listening to a lot of Escape the Fate (when Ronnie was the singer because i heart Ronnie(AHOY BUTTERNUTS!!- don't know what i'm talking about but want to find out? LA INK baby. Look it up on Youtube. One of the episodes features the saying AHOY BUTTERNUTS. And here's a hint, it has something to do with Ronnie from Escape the Fate. Research if you can't figure it out). He may have gotten in some big trouble and then replaced in the band, but i still love him. I mean i like the new singer, Craig, but i like Ronnie better. There is just something about his voice that is so nice to fall asleep to-because i listen to Escape the Fate a lot when i'm going to bed. I'm not weird, the screaming helps.), Black Veil Brides (Again, screaming and Andy Sixx, can't get better), and Underoath (Once more, the screaming helps me fall asleep at night, plus the songs are catchy to me.) What can i say, i'm hardcore. LOL JK!**

**Well, enough of my rambling. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Sasuke laid on his back with Sakura smashed up against his side. They held their hands out, intertwined, looking at the new wedding bands on their fingers. The bands were simple. They were both white gold, and matched Sakura's engagement ring. The rings were actually from the Uchiha vault, his parent's rings. And very surprising to Sasuke, his father's ring fit him perfectly, needing no adjustments at all.

It was the morning after the wedding. The wedding had been put together at the very last minute, and showed, but it was nice. Everyone was dressed casually and the wedding party had been decided the moment before they walked down the aisle. Ino was the brides maid and Naruto was the best man. The rest of the wedding party consisted of Tenten, Hinata, Kakashi and Neji. Not all of the Konoha 12 were in the village so only a few were able to attend. Kiba, Lee, Tsunade, Shizune, and Sakura's parents were the only ones there to witness, besides the wedding party.

The ceremony itself wasn't all that special. The vows were simple as they just repeated after the minister and did not give the written vows. Seto proudly marched down the small aisle and gave his parents the rings, being the ring bearer. And after a few words from the minister, they pronounced man and wife and they shared the traditional wedding kiss.

There was no reception. Everyone present gave a brief congratulations and then went their separate ways. Naruto and Hinata agreed to take care of Seto and Mikoto for at least a day and give the new couple some alone time. However, this did not mean they had sex.

Though it was traditional for it to happen on the honeymoon, they did not. Sakura's pregnancy was too high risk. Any kind of sudden and intense feelings caused the baby to get rowdy and let out chakra-infused kicks on his mother. And although Sakura was willing to risk it, Sasuke wasn't. Instead they spent the time laying in each others arms, relishing in the feeling of the other.

Sakura turned her head and buried her face into his chest and clutched his shirt in one hand and his hand tightly in the other. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed as he gently rubbed her back comfortingly. She sniffed against his chest and clutched him tighter. "I really hate you sometimes." she muttered into his shirt.

Sasuke blinked in surprise. It took him a moment to comprehend what she said and took a deep breath, deciding to keep his mouth shut. Sakura was still for a long amount of time before lifting her head and looking up at him. Angry tears ran down her face as she glared. "It's extremely unfair." she stated, rather calmly for her angry state.

He lifted his hand and wiped away some of the tears while she continued to glare. "Why do you have to go? Why can't you stay with me?"

Sasuke sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "I have to go end it. Once Orochimaru is out of the way we can all move on with our lives and live as a happy family without the worry that someone is just lurking around the corner." he explained softly.

"But why can't the team take care of it?"

Sasuke sighed. "Sakura, please, don't."

There was a long pause and then Sakura sat up slowly. She edged closer to end of the bed and then slowly got up, labored by her large stomach. Sasuke watched as she wiped away the tears and waddled out the door. He sighed and smacked himself on the head, mentally cursing himself. He laid there are a few minutes and then slowly got up to follow.

He found her in the kitchen, digging through the fridge. He watched by the door as she pulled ingredients out and dumped them on the counter. She pulled out a plate and proceeded to make two sandwiches. He silently walked up behind her after a moment and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Are you mad?" he whispered into her ear.

She sighed and continued with the food, acting as if his arms weren't around her. "Kind of. But I know that being mad is just a waste of time because it's not going to change anything."

Sasuke buried his head into her neck and was silent for a long moment. And then deciding to change the subject he glanced at the sandwiches. "Do I get one of those?"

Sakura smiled lightly. "No, you're a bad boy and I'm eating for two."

He chuckled and kissed her neck. "Fine. I'll make myself something."

Sakura moved to the table and calmly ate her food while Sasuke worked around the kitchen. Once he was done, he happily shared his food with her when she started eying it.

The rest of the day past uneventfully. There was no more fighting, or crying as they both avoided the subject entirely. The two sent the day as a average married couple.

The next day, Naruto and Hinata brought the kids home. This day was spent with friends and family, trying to make these days count. Sasuke clung to Seto a lot, making sure that he was always in his sight. And when he wasn't with Seto, he was with Mikoto.

Naruto and Hinata hung around with the family for the day, the entire group having fun. They went down to the park and had a picnic for the day. People eyed the happy family in disbelief because Sakura had been pretty much hiding from the villagers for the most part since she was put on maternity leave. People eyed how big she had gotten and Sakura found herself dreading when the village find out about the marriage.

The day drew to an end too quickly for anyone's liking and then group reluctantly went their separate ways. The young couple arrived home and after getting the kids ready for bed, they laid down in bed themselves. Sakura cuddled up against Sasuke, trying to not think about what was to come.

Unfortunately, the morning came soon and it was the last day Sasuke had. Naruto joined them at the house again today, but this time it was to help Sasuke. The majority of the day was spent by the two friends preparing for the mission that they would leave for at dawn.

Around three, Sakura peeked into the bedroom where Sasuke and Naruto had stationed themselves. Naruto sat perched on the bed with various items around him while Sasuke was seated on the floor, sorting and organizing everything that he would need. Sakura felt a lump in her throat form at the sight. He would be leaving soon and even though she had been trying to ignore this fact, this sight was a big reminder.

She took a deep breath and put a smile on her face. She knocked lightly on the doorframe to get their attention. "Hey, babe, do you want to come with me to pick up Seto from daycare?" she asked very casually despite her pain.

Sasuke smirked and stood up and headed over to her, gently wrapping an arm around her and kissing her quickly. "Yeah, that sounds nice." he commented against her lips.

They pulled away and Sasuke volunteered to go get Mikoto. Sakura smiled. "Okay, by the time you have her, I sound be by the door by then." she commented lightly, rubbing her stomach. "I'm much slower these days."

Naruto laughed at her joke and then jumped from the bed to drop to his knees in front of her and wrap his arms around her waist, pressing the side of his face against her stomach. "Yeah, but the little guy in there is going to be so cute! Little Naruto!" he shouted.

Sakura frowned. "For the last time, we are not naming him Naruto." she said, slightly annoyed. He has been pestering the young couple about naming their child after him for a long awhile. Every chance he got, actually.

But he will be so cute as a Naruto!" The blonde protested.

"Shush. Oh, babe, I was thinking of stopping by the Tower to check on all the paperwork being done and we need your signature before you leave." Sakura said to Sasuke, with Naruto stilling handing on her stomach.

Sasuke eyed her. "What paperwork?"

"Well, I have to get my named changed now as well as some other minor paperwork that needs to be done but also I'm the new Uchiha matriarch, so my name has to be on all the paperwork for the clan, you know, just incase that something was to happen to you . . ." she said, getting quieter and quieter as she spoke.

Sasuke frowned and kissed the top of her head, careful not to step on Naruto or get too close to him. The blonde would surely have something to say if he ended up in a sandwich between them.

They quickly got Mikoto was headed out the door. The walk there was rather pleasant. Naruto chatted nonstop, making the couple feel more relaxed as their odd friend told a funny story. Sasuke held Mikoto in his one arm, the young girl playing with his hair as they walked. Sakura held is other hand and held her stomach with the other. She found it was easier to ignore what was coming soon when she was holding her husbands hand while their talked. It was a nice moment of peace where they could forget everything. Even the stares didn't bother her, though there was plenty of those.

It seems everyone had stopped to stair. The couple walked hand in hand, completely ignoring everyone. They made it to the daycare quickly and waited for Seto and the other kids to come out. Parents stared, eying their linked hands and her large stomach. But Sakura stood completely unaffected, even having the guts to smile pleasantly at her observers. She had a limited time with her family left and she wasn't going to let anything bring her down.

Out of the corner of Sakura's eye, she was a woman standing much closer than the other parents usually do. She turned and looked at her and saw a young woman, younger than all of the parents around but definitely older than them. The woman was staring at the group with an unsure look on her face but flushed when she saw Sakura staring back. The woman smiled at her hesitantly, much to her bewilderment. It was like an unspoken rule for all of the parents to ignore or give hateful looks to them.

Sakura smiled back warily. The woman looked at her, and as if the smile had solved some inner turmoil, began to walk over to them, ignoring the stares and glares from the other parents. Sakura tensed, not sure what was going to happen and squeezed Sasuke's hand. Sasuke turned to look at her and then looked at the woman. He raised an eyebrow, recognizing her as the woman that was staring at him and Seto awhile ago with her son.

The woman finally made it to them and smiled politely. "Hello, I'm Mai. My son, Haru, is best friends with Seto. I'd thought I'd introduce myself." she said, hesitantly.

Sakura stifled her shock and then warily stuck out her hand. "Sakura Uchiha." She stated as the woman's eyes went wide for a moment. She glanced down at Sasuke's and Sakura's linked hand and noticed the rings. She stared for a moment.

"Oh, I didn't know you were married." she said.

Sasuke dodged the question by sticking out his hand was well. "Sasuke Uchiha." he greeted.

She smiled politely back at him and let out of Sakura's hand to grip his. "Pleasure to meet you." she greeted kindly.

Their handshake was very quick and as soon as she let go, Naruto gripped her hand. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the best there is." He stated and smiled in response.

"Oh, I'm sure you are." she said with a giggle. "It's a pleasure to meet you." she said to him and then looked at the couple. "All of you."

Sakura studied her, feeling her alarm slipping away. The woman seemed to present no hostile motives or any dislike for the family. She eyed Mikoto and smiled at her. "And who is this little angel?"

"Mikoto Uchiha, my daughter." Sasuke said. He sense any harm from the woman so he turned so Mikoto was angled more towards Mai. She cooed and hesitantly reached out to gently push some of Mikoto's hair out her face. Sasuke watched her carefully, just in case.

She pulled away with a bright smile on her face. "She's gorgeous. I remember when my Haru was that young. They grow so quickly, its scary." she said conversationally.

Sakura nodded with a smile on her face, but didn't say anything more. Sensing a dead subject, Mai moved on. She glanced at Sakura's stomach and smiled. "How far are you?"

"Almost seven months." she said, rubbing her belly.

Mai smiled. "Do you know the gender yet?"

"No, but I have a feeling it's a boy."

Mai smiled, but said no more as the doors to the daycare opened and the kids came running out. Sure enough, Seto ran out with the little boy that Sasuke recognized as Haru. The two boys looked around and then with wide eyes, saw their parents together and smiled, sprinting over to them. Both boys reached the group at the same time and clung to the legs of their mother's, hugging them tightly. Both mother's laughed and hugged their children.

They spent a minute or two talking to the boys before Mai grabbed her son's hand and looked to the couple. "Well, it was nice meeting you. If you would like, the boys could play together anytime." She suggested.

Sakura smiled pleasantly. "That sounds nice."

The group said their goodbyes and then parted in opposite directions. Seto climbed onto Naruto's shoulders while Sasuke and Sakura still held each other's hand. But after a moment, Naruto and Seto separated from the couple for some ramen. They agreed to met up at the ramen shop after seeing the Hokage.

The reached the Tower quickly and Tsunade wasn't in a meeting so they were able to go straight to her. Tsunade greeted Sakura warmly, asking about how she and the baby were, and then glared at Sasuke. She was still upset with the young Uchiha, for so many things. Sasuke smirked at her, only succeeding to anger her more.

Sakura eyed them and then laughed nervously and decided to step in before Tsunade started a fight. "Sensei, we came for all the paperwork . . ." she trailed off.

Tsunade looked at her and nodded, already digging through the stacks of paper on her desk. It took a moment before she reached the folder and pulled it out. "Okay, I have all of the paperwork done but I need some signatures before I can file them." she stated and gestured for them to sit down. The two sat down and Sakura engrossed herself with the files while Sasuke turned his attention to Mikoto in his arms.

Tsunade pulled out Sakura's stuff first. "okay, right now I need to you to sign your full maiden name hear and then your new full name here." she said, pointing to spots on the paper. Sakura sighed them quickly. "Okay, once more here, your new name." she instructed and Sakura did so.

Tsunade smiled and glanced over the file. "Okay, Mrs. Uchiha. You are all set. Now for the more important matters." She said, filing one file away and then grabbing another stack. "Okay, these are deeds and bank records and the such. These will place your name on the records so that you two will now share the responsibility of the Uchiha stake, such as the fortune, land, etc. By signing these papers, if something was to happen to Sasuke, the entire Uchiha stake would not be ripped out from under you. These papers officially declares you a Uchiha." she explained.

Sasuke nodded, feeling a sense of pride. She was about to fulfill her old childhood dream. She was about to be declared an official Uchiha. This was a very special moment.

Sasuke sensed this and gripped her hand in his, smiling at her. She smiled back brightly. "Where do we sign?"

xOx

Sasuke and Sakura tucked in Seto and then walked down the hall to their bedroom. After they had finished at the Tower, they met up with Naruto and Seto. It had taken awhile because there was a lot to go through and when they arrived at the shop, it was already dinner time. They ate dinner there and then the group went back home where Sasuke and Naruto finished packing quickly.

Naruto left soon after to spend some time with Hinata before he leaves and to give the family some alone time. Sasuke allowed Seto to stay up until he couldn't anymore and then they had both went to tuck his sleeping form into bed.

They entered the bedroom and quickly changed for bed. Sasuke was the first in bed because he just removed his clothes and then Sakura joined him shortly after. Her heart clenched as she realized this was the last time she would lay in bed with him for awhile. In fact, it could be the very last time ever. She clutched him tighter.

They stayed awake for a long time, laying in each others arms. No words could be said, and they instead just tried to savoir the moments they had left together.

But somewhere in the night, the couple had fallen asleep and all too soon the alarm to wake up Sasuke went off. He sighed and turned it off and laid in bed for a half hour more before actually getting up. He had planned on his reluctance to get up and had set his alarm early. After a half hour, he had gotten up and taken a quick shower before getting dressed.

He wore an ANBU uniform. Tsunade had given it to him for this mission only and said that he would have to earn his right to wear it again if he came back. He stared at his form in the mirror, an surreal feeling coming over him. He sighed, turned away from the mirror.

When he exited the bathroom, Sakura was still sleeping so he grabbed his stuff and silently crept downstairs. He placed his stuff by the front door and then headed to the kitchen, determined to make the last cup of coffee he would have for awhile. He chose to have a simple breakfast while he waited for the coffee.

After a while, he calmly sipped his coffee, he heard gentle footsteps at the door. Without bothering to go to them, he waited for Hinata and Naruto to let themselves in. Moments later, the two walked in. Naruto didn't have his gear with him so Sasuke assumed he had placed them by his in front of the door. Hinata stood with a large bag strapped to her back and was holding another, Naruto also holing one. Sasuke put his cup down and freed up her hands. "I'll show you to the room." he said.

Just as it had been discussed, the girls would be moving in while the boys were awhile. Unfortunately, Ino and Tenten had been assigned a last minute delivery mission and would be back in a few days. Until then, Hinata was the only one moving in to protect and watch over the house.

Sasuke led them to the guest room and she laid down her things on the bed. Tenten and Hinata were going to share this room and Ino had her own. Sasuke felt a little better knowing that the girls would be there to help her.

They didn't linger in the guest room for too long. They moved back to the kitchen quickly where Sasuke continued his coffee and Naruto found something to eat. They still had plenty of time to spare before they had to leave so they relaxed and took their time. There was a sense of strained calm in the room, making it more unnerving than actual calm.

Sasuke nearly jumped when he say something out of the corner of his approaching the backdoor. It was a small form of a toad that quickly thumped against the glass, making everyone turn towards it then to Naruto. Naruto sweat dropped and moved to open the door. He held the door open as the toad jumped in and said one phase before disappearing with a poof. "Mission complete." It had croaked.

Hinata and Sasuke stared at Naruto, wondering what this 'mission' was. But before they could ask, Naruto was opening the door farther as a figure started up towards the door. Naruto smiled kind of awkwardly at the figure and Sasuke watching in confusion.

The figure soon reached the door and entered the house quickly, closing the door behind him. Sasuke's jaw dropped as he took in the sight in front of him. "What are you doing here?" he asked in disbelief.

His older brother looked at him calmly and then smirked. "I'm here to help my brother protect his family." he stated and then watched up to greet his dear brother. Sasuke quickly put his coffee down and hugged his brother.

"How? When? What?" Sasuke stuttered out, trying to wrap his mind around his brother's sudden appearance.

Naruto smiled sheepishly. "I figured we could use his help. I sent out a toad to inform him that Orochimaru was after you and the family and the day we were shipping out. I thought he would want to help." he explained.

Sasuke smirked at his best friend. "Thank you."

xOx

Sakura awoke alone. It took a moment for her mind to register this fact and then she panicked, glancing at the clock. There was still time before dawn, but she wasn't sure if Sasuke had already left. She tried to swiftly get out of bed but was labored by her stomach. She got out of bed as quickly as she could and rushed down the stairs, not bothering to grab a robe or to mind the power chakra inside her baby.

She nosily rushed down the stairs and saw the kitchen light on so she rushed there. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed gear sitting by the door, but in her flustered state, she couldn't make sense of it. She burst through the doorway and was able to focus on Sasuke rushing to her side. He had a worried expression on his face and quickly closed the distance between them. "Sakura?" his asked, intense concern laced in his voice.

She reached out for him but froze as she felt a strong blow from inside her womb. She gasped and clutched her stomach. She felt Sasuke's arms wrap around her and left her from the ground. She carried her over to the counter, it being closer, and set her down. She was breathing heavily and Sasuke pounded her with questions. She shook her head, gaining her composure again. "I'm fine. It wasn't a really strong kick. Just a warning."

Sasuke frowned. It was true. He had felt the chakra serge and was able to tell that it wasn't very strong but still he worried. He glared at her. "What were you doing running like that? You know that you can't be running in your state!" he scolded.

Sakura looked down, feeling like child being reprimanded. "I thought you had left without waking me to say goodbye." she explained quietly.

Sasuke's anger vanished and he sighed, pulling her into a hug. "I was going to wake you up soon. I had gotten distracted."

Sasuke pulled away and eyed him. "Distracted?"

Sasuke nodded and moved away. Sakura stared at him for a moment more before looking around the room. Naruto and Hinata were sitting at the table, turned toward the counter. And Itachi stood leaning against the fridge. Her eyes widened drastically. "Itachi!?"

Itachi stood with a calm face but was anything but on the inside. They hadn't talked about much since he arrived, only discussing the details of the mission with him. They hadn't gotten a chance to discuss how everything else was going when they suddenly heard stomping from upstairs.

He hadn't known what to expect, for he didn't know what was going on in Konoha but to see Sakura coming rushing in, very much pregnant, was not what he expected. And for her to suddenly be in pain was another unexpected. It seems there has been a lot going on here in Konoha.

She smiled at him after recovering from her shock. It was the same dazzling smile that he remembered as she greeted him. He nodded in response.

"What are you doing here?" she asked and both Sasuke and Naruto explained. She nodded and reached out to pull Sasuke to her side. He went willingly and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as she leaned onto him. She looked at Itachi. "Thank you for joining them. I feel a little bit better with you there."

Itachi nodded, but chose not to say anything in response. Instead he looked to his brother for an explanation. Sasuke eyed him innocently. "Surprise." he muttered. Itachi glared.

Sasuke sighed. "Yeah, well Sakura is almost seven months pregnant now. Both Seto and Mikoto are doing well. Um, Sakura and I were recently engaged and then even more recently married. And . . ." he said, trailing off. "I think that's it."

Itachi stared at him for a long moment in disbelief. Sasuke sighed and glanced at Sakura. She was staring at the ground with a sheepish look on her face. Sasuke turned back to his brother. "It's a long story."

"I have time." Itachi stated calmly, though he was inwardly glaring at his little brother. He felt hurt that he would 'forget' to tell him something like this.

Sasuke sighed, running a hand through his hand briefly. He glanced at Sakura quickly before starting the huge explanation. Itachi stood wordless for awhile, just letting everything sink in. He eyed the young married couple and then sighed. He had a sister-in-law much sooner than he had expected. And he was going to be an uncle soon as well, which was an exciting prospect.

Sasuke spoke, interrupting his thoughts. 'We were going to tell you about the spring wedding when we got more of the details nailed down. But everything just happened so quickly. I'm sorry we didn't tell you."

Itachi sighed. "It's fine. I won't hold it against you." he said calmly. He hadn't really had time to ponder everything but he was sure he wasn't going to blame him and be upset under the circumstances.

Itachi pushed away from the fridge and walked over to the couple slowly. "Congratulations." he said, pulling Sasuke into a gentle hug before turning to Sakura. He eyed her stomach and then smirked. "Pregnancy has been treating you well, I see."

She blushed. "Yeah, right. I'm sitting here in one of Sasuke's baggy shirts and short shorts with bed head. I'm sure I look great." she teased.

Itachi smirked lightly at her teasing and then hesitantly hugged her. She was shocked at first but gently wrapped her arms around him. "Welcome to the family." He whispered to her, almost bringing tears to her eyes. She tightened her hold on him briefly before letting go. He moved back and smirked, truly happy for his brother and his young wife.

xOx

Itachi snuck out of the village first and was going to wait a little ways from the gates for the group. He said his goodbyes, checking on his sleeping children once and then was gone. Naruto and Sasuke stood by the door now, putting on the last of their gear. Sasuke had already said his goodbye to the children before they went to bed. He had told Seto that he was going to going away for a bit and too watch over the house while he was gone. Sasuke had even written some letters, in case he didn't make it back, and had given them to Ino for safekeeping. As much as he hated to admit it, he trusted Ino with this.

So with all of that taken care of, the only thing left was to say goodbye to Sakura and leave. Once he was sure that all his gear was on, he turned to face her. She stood next to Hinata, watching as her boys got ready. She had tears in her eyes but was holding up strongly.

Sasuke stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her. She choked on a sob that threatened to break free while he leaned his forehead against hers. Her tears started gushing out more, but she was still able to keep herself relatively composed. She gently placed her hand on his chest.

"I love you with all my heart." he whispered to her, feeling as if his heart might break.

She choked on another sob and brought her other hand up to cover her mouth as her tears gushed. She nodded wordlessly, trying to tell him the same without words. She would surely break completely if she tried to speak.

He gently rubbed her stomach between them. "I love this entire family." he whispered. She removed her hand from her mouth and placed in on his.

"I love you." he whispered once more before capturing her lips. This kiss said it all. It told her how he felt, and how much he was doing all of this for all of them. It told him how she felt and that she was going to miss him. It said unspoken words and dreams. It was everything.

Sasuke pulled away for lack of air and gripped her tighter, pecking her lips gently. "I have to go now." he whispered.

She choked, but the sob broke through and she gripped his uniform. "Please don't go!" she pleaded.

Sasuke clenched his eyes closed and slowly placed his hands on hers. "I'm sorry, love." he whispered, prying her hands off. She rapped her arms around his neck and capture his lips once more before he pulled away reluctantly. "I'm sorry. I love you forever." he whispered once more before detaching himself and escaping out the door, Naruto following right after.

Sakura slowly sank to the floor with Hinata supporting her. Hinata gently smoothed her hair and tried to comfort her, but she was beyond comfort. She sobbed uncontrollably, whispering his name between her sobs. "Sasuke! Come back! Come back to me!" she sobbed hysterically.

She was broken, shattered into a million pieces.

xOx

Naruto and Sasuke didn't make it far from the house before Sasuke had to stop. He landed on a roof a few blocks from the compound and fell to his knees. Naruto, how was right behind him jumped right past in and landed on the next roof before he noticed Sasuke wasn't ahead of him anymore. He looked to the front and to the sides before turning around to see Sasuke on all four, staring at the tiles on of the roof. Naruto slowly went back and was stocked at what he found.

Sasuke was shaking uncontrollable and tears were running down his face. He hit the tiles angrily, sobbing brokenly before his arms grave out and he collapsed. Naruto had seen Sasuke cry once before, at the table after Itachi had told him the truth about his clan, but it was nothing like this. Before, Sasuke was just terribly upset. He had looked bad last time, but it was nothing compared to this.

He was broken, shattering into a million pieces.

Naruto stood for a moment before squatting down next to his best friend. He stared up at the sky and placed a hand on his shoulder, silently offering his support. It was a long time before they moved, before Sasuke was able to compose himself even the slightest.

"Lets get this bastard." Naruto whispered suddenly, his voice calm with hatred dripping from every word. "Lets get this bastard so we can come back to our families. Lets get him for making us suffer and for messing with others lives. Let get him so that he can't do anything to anyone else. He has to stopped or else he is just going to fuck with someone else, maybe one of us."

Sasuke listened, trying to regain control of himself. It was hard task, but he tried to lock everything away. He had to get up. He had to protect his family.

Sasuke pulled himself from the ground until he was sitting. Naruto stood up beside him and offered his hand. Sasuke stared at it for a long moment before he pulled his mask over his face, trying to hide the evidence of his breakdown from the rest of the world. He stuck his hand out and allowed himself to be helped up. Naruto put a comforting hand on his shoulder and Sasuke nodded, silently thanking him.

With a deep breath, he looked at Naruto. His friend smiled back at him. "Ready?" he asked calmly, as if they were going to go train instead of risking their lives.

Sasuke nodded, determination allowing him to stand up again. Naruto calmly smiled and laughed a little before they both pushed off at the same instant.

* * *

**Please don't eat me. I would appreciate that. So? What did you think? Please review to tell me your thoughts. Even random thoughts are fun to find in your mailbox. lol. **

**Also, i would like to have a new poll up soon. I'm thinking of baby names but i can't narrow them down. Assistance? I should have the poll up sometime soon, so check it out when you have the chance. It would really help because i'm fast approaching her ninth mouth and i can't have a baby born without a name and without a name, i'm probably going to stall and then the chapter doesn't get posted and it's just not fun. So please, when i put it up, check it out.**

**Well, i'm off to bed because it is late. Night!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Well, hello there. Long time no see, huh? Sorry about that. I've been pretty swamped. It was the end of the semester at school so all the teachers were throwing homework at us so that we could be ready for the mid-terms. But alas, finals are over and i start new classes tomorrow. Yup, that should be fun. (Can you hear the sarcasism?)**

**Well since i didn't have any homework for the first time in weeks, i decided to sit down and write. The chapter isn't the best, but hey, i tried. I finished it last night but Fanfiction was being stupid and wasn't allowing me to put it up. I had to wait until today to see if it would work. So far so good but you never know.**

**Otay, what do i have to say . . . ? Well i guess i'll start with thank you so much for all your support and reviews. I always makes my day a little better when i see i have a review in my mailbox. And seriously, everyday i come home from school in the worst mood because i hate my school. So when i see that someone left a review, it makes me feel so much better. Thank you all so much!**

**Well, i don't have much more to say about the story so i guess i'll mention some personal stuff. Um, let's see . . . I am on a huge Jane Austen kick. I just finished reading my favorit book, Pride and Prejudice, for the i don't know how many time, and i just swindled my mother into ordering the enitre Jane Austen collection for me. So i'm extremely happy and it should be arriving anytime between tomorrow and Saturday. I'm dying to read them. The waiting is killing me.**

**Um, music. Of, course i have been listening to a lot of Escape the Fate (Ronnie!), Black Veil Brides, and Underoath. But even more recently i have started listening to Attack Attack! (my fav is Stick Stickly), and Lovehatehero (My fav is Red Dress). Amazing bands and i recommend them to anyone who is interested in that kind of music like me.**

**Um, i think i'm going to stop rambling. Oh, one last thing to my tinky-z. Sorry i haven't responded. I will get to it as soon as i can. I'm glad you are doing better and you really had me worried there. I love you so much!**

**Oh, well, enjoy.**

* * *

Sakura's eyes fluttered open slowly. She lay in bed, painfully aware of how big and cold it was without him beside her. Without looking in a mirror, she knew that her face was a mess because she fell asleep crying again last night. The thought passed through her head but she quickly dismissed it, knowing full well that she didn't care enough for it to bother her.

It had been three days. Three days of pain and loneliness. Three days without him. She had completely fallen apart that first day. She and Hinata had sat on the floor by the door for a couple of hours before Hinata had insisted that they moved. Hinata then moved her up to the bedroom, where the kids wouldn't see her falling to pieces. That entire day was spent lying in bed hysterically crying.

She had fallen asleep sometime between three and four and had awakened up at nine with the desire to just stay in bed all day and cry again. But she knew that she was worrying Seto, who had popped his head in the bedroom several times the day before to check on his sick mother. She had to pull it together and at least be strong for him and Mikoto during the day.

So she got up and successfully put on fake smile and went about her day with Hinata and the kids. She fooled the kids, but Hinata knew better. So Tenten and Ino when they made it back from their mission. No one said anything to her, but there was no doubt that they knew.

During the day, she tried her best to be strong. She smiled and talked even though all she wanted to do was crawl into a hole and hide from the world. But no matter how bad she wanted to hide, she couldn't because it wasn't just about her anymore. She had to care for her family while he was gone. She couldn't completely break down, at least during the day. But at night, she cried herself to sleep. It was the time when she could finally break and let her sorrow out.

Sakura sighed, not wanting to get out of bed but knowing she had to. _For my family. _She reminded herself again and then lazily got out of bed. She decided to shower quickly, hoping to clean up her face a bit before she had to face anyone. It was a quick shower and she was soon heading down the stairs. She had slept in so when she walked into the kitchen the girls were already getting Seto ready for daycare.

The girls stilled the moment she came in and then were quickly moving again. Sakura inwardly sighed, hating how they were watching her so closely. She moved over to Seto, ignoring their side-long glances and kissed his head. "Good morning."

"Morning, Mommy!" he greeted back, some sort of sticky jam smeared all over his mouth. Sakura smiled and grabbed a wet washcloth. He protested at first but she gave him the "mother look" and he reluctantly allowed himself to be cleaned.

Once done, he jumped down from his chair and she gave him a little pat on the back. "Go get your backpack and I'll take you." She told him, wanting to get out of the house.

He smiled brightly because Sakura hadn't been the one to take him since most of her pregnancy. He ran off quickly, eager for his mother to take him.

The girls waited until he was gone to speak. "How are you this morning?" Tenten asked casually.

Sakura's smile faltered for a moment. "Good. I think a walk would be nice right now." she said, equally casual.

The girls glanced at each other and Ino plastered a fake smile into her face. "Yeah, it sounds nice. I think we should join you."

Sakura wasn't fooled. "I figured you would." She said sarcastically as she walked into the hallway, hearing Seto running down the stairs. She slipped her shoes and then helped Seto with his while the girls prepared Mikoto. It didn't take long for them to be out the door.

The weather was pleasant now. It was late August now, a few days from September so the heat had cooled down a bit, but was still rather warm out. The walk was pleasant as well; Seto the only one talking as they calmly strolled toward the schoolyard. It wasn't until they actually reached the building did they notice that the entire village seemed to be staring and whispering.

Sakura blinked in confusion, wondering what their problem was now. She looked around and stopped when she saw Mai slowly making her way over to them. Sakura smiled and bent down and kissed Seto before he ran off into the building with Haru. When she stood up again, Mai had finally reached them. She smiled, hesitantly. "Hello, how are you?"

Sakura smiled kindly. "I'm fine. Just trying to make it through the days with this little one continuously growing." She said, rubbing her stomach.

Mai smiled. "Yeah, I remember how that felt."

Sakura giggled but stopped when she saw two women whispering to each other nearby. She glanced at the two women and had no doubt that they were talking about her. Mai looked over at the women as well and sighed. "It's amazing how rude people are." she commented.

Sakura nodded and rubbed her stomach gently. "I don't even know what their problem is now, but there is always something."

Mai looked at her and bit her lip. Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Do you know what they are talking about?"

Mai was quiet for a beat and then hesitantly spoke. "There are rumors that Mr. Uchiha fled the village, abandoning his children and you pregnant."

Sakura froze. Ino glared at Mia for a moment. "Are you serious!?" She exclaimed angrily and then turned to the nearby women gossiping. "Get away from us before I walk over there and rip your head off!!"

Tenten gripped Ino on the shoulder, trying to calm her. Ino took a deep breath and glared at the ground. She glanced at Sakura, staring sadly at the ground. She hated to see her best friend in pain. It was enough pain for her to be without Sasuke but she didn't need the village making it any harder for her. She cursed mentally.

Sakura spoke quietly, keeping her gaze focused on the ground. "No, it's not true. He was assigned a very dangerous mission to eliminate a very serious threat against the village. He and a team were dispatched to protect this family and the village." she whispered.

Mia blinked. "Because of that sound attack the other day?" she guessed and Sakura nodded wordlessly. The older woman stared at her and then placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He'll come home soon and when he does, I hope to be able to thank him for his work. He's a great man for taking on that mission." She said comfortingly.

Sakura swallowed then lump in her throat and tried to put a happy face on. She looked up with a smile on her face that did not reach her eyes and nodded, rubbing her stomach gently. "Of course."

Hinata gently reached out and placed her hand on Sakura's elbow. "Why don't we go get something to eat? You haven't eaten anything yet so you must be hungry." she suggested and Sakura nodded, still rubbing her stomach. Although she didn't feel like eating, she knew that she was going to start losing weight if she didn't eat. And with her very special child growing in her, she couldn't afford to do that.

"Why don't you join us?" Tenten suggested toward Mai, and said woman smiled.

"Thank you. That sounds nice."

xOx

Sasuke walked down the quiet, familiar corridor. He eyed anything, looking for any clues or any hidden traps or enemies. The place looked abandoned, however, looking as if it had been that way for months. Even said, the team searched thoroughly, not wanting to miss anything.

Upon meeting up with the rest of the group at the gates, they had left right away to start their important mission. Naruto had kept close to Sasuke the entire time, watching his back carefully to make sure that he didn't make a dumb mistake because of his current state of mind. The action was unnecessary- for he had gotten himself under control quickly and was now very focused and determined- but comforting all the same. It was nice to know that Naruto had his back.

They didn't have to walk very far from the gates for them to stumble across Itachi, who was sitting very nonchalantly at a base of a tree and Kisame joining him as well. The rest of the team had tensed as soon as they came into a good distance from them and had froze, tensed to battle at any moment. But Sasuke and Naruto didn't pause, causing the rest of the team to stare at them in disbelief as they walked right up to the men.

Naruto had stopped about five feet from him while Sasuke went straight to Itachi's side. Itachi looked up at him calmly before standing up and dusting the dirt off of his long cloak. Sasuke watched calmly and then leaned his head against his brother's chest, letting his sorrow flow out once more. Even though his mask covered his face, Itachi automatically knew and wrapped his arms around his dearest little brother. "We are going to get the bastard and then you can return to your family quickly." he promised him.

Sasuke nodded and pulled away, smiling weakly under his mask. He looked to Kisame, who looked to be studying the brothers. Sasuke stared back and then nodded a greeting. The fish man was completely still for a moment before a familiar grin spread across his face and he roughly pat Sasuke on the shoulder. "Hey, Sas-cakes, long time no see. "

The three men then moved away from the tree and stood in the middle of the path, waiting for the rest of the group to come along. Naruto stood with his arms behind his head, his mask pulled up to reveal his relaxed, bright smile on his face. "Are you coming?"

The group glanced at each other before Neji stepped forward, leading the rest. When they reached them, Neji shook Itachi's hand confidently, silently welcoming him to the mission. Shikamaru was the next to do so, rather lazily. Lee plastered a polite smile onto his face and then had hesitantly reached out to do so too. Kiba was the last to do so, very hesitant while Akamaru whimpered at his side.

Itachi was indifferent for the most part, greeting them only politely before gently removing his long black cloak. He would not wear it for this mission, he decided, for he could tell that the team was uncomfortable working with an Akatsuki member and the red clouds were too much of a reminder. Instead, he placed it inside this backpack he had packed. Kisame studied his partner and then did the same.

The large team started down the path again, some rather uncomfortable about the whole thing but kept silent. Both Naruto and Itachi kept close to Sasuke, watching his back. Sasuke ignored the two and kept his focus on the path in front of him. The nearest base was not far from the Konoha gates and was hiding in plain sight; a fact that had severely pissed Naruto off- years of searching for Sasuke and he was right under their noses-. They would reach it soon and infiltrate it to look for any enemies or clues as to where the enemies were.

And that's where they had been for majority of the time spent on the mission. They made it there on the first day and have been searching the complex bit by bit. The sound base had three levels. The smallest level was the first, the one visible from the outside. This level is disguised to look like a normal house. This was the easiest area to clear because nothing was hidden there.

The second level was through a secret passage that led underground. This was where Sasuke spent most of his time at. This level housed the living quarters, training area, Orochimaru's separate quarters, mission briefing rooms and anything else needed for the base to function. This level was much larger than the first and had taken a lot of time to just clear that it was empty. The team has since been working on going through the rooms looking for clues.

The last level, the level that Sasuke insisted on clearing, was the classified level; he himself had only been down a few times. This level housed the laboratories, power rooms, and prison/dungeon chambers. While the second level had a rather confusing layout for anyone who was not familiar with it, the third level was purposely made to confuse one. A brilliant labyrinth made so that anyone who was not supposed to be down there would have no clue where they're going and would get lost before they found anything. It was for this reason that Sasuke insisted on clearing it. He had been down there before and had a pretty good idea as to where he was going.

He hadn't found anything of interest. Everything was abandoned and looked as if it had been packed up in a hurry. Anything that was not necessary was left behind. The place was a mess and left no clues as to where they were going.

Sasuke sighed and moved up to the second level. It was getting late and since the entire complex had been cleared, they had been sleeping there. They had made Sasuke's and Seto's old room their own little base. Sasuke held an important place in Orochimaru's world so he was given his own private quarters, isolated from the other sound members below him in rank. The boys had decided to stick to Sasuke's quarters.

Sasuke entered the familiar hall and went to the door at the end. He opened the door and took a moment at the in the doorway. It was weird being back in here. The last time he had been there was when he was about to run with Seto. It was weird to be there now after so much had happened and even weirder to not have his little boy with him.

He moved over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Sitting on the bed was one of Seto's stuffed animals-a small snake- that he used to sleep with each night. Sasuke had forgotten to grab it when he ran. Sasuke sighed and held the small snake in his hand, wishing desperately that he had his little boy to hold.

He missed his family dearly. The night before he had dreamt that he was home. He was lying in bed with Sakura, her stomach large and swollen from their unborn child. He held her close and then had heard crying from Mikoto. Sasuke awoke then and had jumped up to go to his little girl only to stumble over Kiba's sleeping form. Said man had awoken quickly and yelled profanities at him loud enough for all the guys to wake up. It was fun trying to explain what had happened.

He sighed and leaned back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Damn Orochimaru. He mentally cursed and went over the mental list he had been forming for awhile. There were numerous bases that the snake could have fled to. Sasuke's guess was that once he realized that Sasuke had taken Seto and fled the base all those months ago, he had quickly packed up and moved on. With Sasuke in Konoha, Orochimaru wouldn't risk the chance that Sasuke would tell of his location and had jumped ship.

Sasuke knew that there were many bases spread out around the different lands. In the years that Sasuke had spent under sound rule, they had switched bases frequently. There was really no way of telling where he was because he always seemed to pick the locations at random, never following a pattern. It was going to be difficult to find him.

Sasuke closed his eyes, hoping to rest a little before the rest of the team entered and ruined his peace. Sasuke took a deep calming breath and settled into the bed more comfortably. There was probably only about thirty seconds of peace before it all came crashing done.

The entire structure seemed to tremble and little flacks of concrete fell to the ground from the cracked ceiling. Sasuke sat up, alert, and listened. From somewhere in the distance he could hear some sort of ruckus. Sasuke jumped to his feet and bolted down the hall in search of his team.

He didn't have to look hard.

He ran into the training area and saw that Kiba, Naruto, and were running around in a sort of panic, dodging various weapons that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Sasuke sighed, seeing that they had somehow managed to trigger a training sequence and from the looks on their faces, they had no clue how to turn it off.

Naruto jumped out of the way as one sharp weapon flew passed him, only to step into the path of another. He threw himself to the ground and then rolled out of it, on his feet in a second. Without pausing, he sprinted to the corner, where nothing seemed to be able to reach him. He drew in panicked breaths, his eyes shifting every few seconds to scan for any threats coming.

He spotted Sasuke at the entrance of the room. "TEME! HELP!!!" He yelled in a panic.

Sasuke shook his head and then sprinted into the room, carefully dodging everything. It surprised him, because his body reacted without him really having to think, as if just by memory. There were several different sequences that could be active. These sequences had a specific course that it took, throwing a certain amount of obstacles at you before it would eventually shut down or be turned off. Sasuke had done each sequence thousands of times and could almost tell you what type of weapon would come out and from where, even after all this time.

He finally crossed the large room where a control panel lay in the wall. He quickly typed in the code-7278396 he recited in his head- and the panel clicked. There was the sound of the weapons that were currently out returning back into their designated place from behind him and he turned around. The system was set up so that after the sequence ended, there was no clean up needed.

Kiba and Akamaru stood to his left, their positions tensed as they watched everything become calm again. Lee was standing in a similar way on his far right while Naruto was hunched in the corner, staring at the now empty room. There was every long pause and everything was still. Naruto blinked. "That was the coolest thing ever." He stated and everyone turned to glare at him.

Naruto laughed and moved away from the corner. "What?"

Kiba clenched his fists and glared, stepping closer to the blonde in an ominous way. "I hate you so much right now." He muttered threateningly. Naruto stepped back in response.

Sasuke heard the sound of hurried footsteps and saw Neji, Shikamaru, Itachi and Kisame rush into the room. They looked around for danger. "What happened!?"

Sasuke leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, what did happen?"

It was Lee who decided to answer as Kiba lunged for Naruto and the blonde yelped and ran. The two began to run circles around the room, yelling and screaming. Lee stepped closer to the group, a tired expression on his face. "Naruto saw the panel in the wall and pressed a button. When it beeped, he pressed another and was amazed that the beeping was in two different tones. He then decided to play with all the buttons, trying to make a song, and had activated something."

Sasuke shook his head but couldn't seem to find words to express how he was feeling. It sounded like a perfect example of Naruto's carelessness combined with his stupidity. Slightly frustrated was one way to explain it. Kisame chuckled next to him and leaned against the wall to watch the chase.

Neji seemed to get frustrated with the two antics and, as Naruto was about to ran by them, stuck out his leg. This had his desired effect and Naruto tripped, landing face-first into the ground. Kiba, who had been following close behind, jumped in the air at the last second to avoid tripping over Naruto's crumpled form. He landed gracefully by the rest of the group.

Shikamaru yawned lazily. "Sounds like we had an eventful day. I say call it a day and go rest up."

The group nodded in agreement. Not bothering to help Naruto up, they stepped over him and headed back to the Sasuke's old room. Naruto groaned and cursed at them, before slowly getting to his feet and followed them, rubbing his face.

xOx

The girls had chosen a nice restaurant to dine in. It was a little crowded, but it had the best food. They were seated quickly , much to Sakura's relief. She was feeling a little weak, probably from not eating very much in the last few days she thought, and was already tired from walking there. Some sweat collected on her forehead and along her back.

They ordered their food and started up a pleasant conversation while they waited. The waitress filled up their glasses with water before she told them that their food and drinks would be ready soon. Sakura gratefully sucked down the cold water, surprising herself when she began to pull up air from her straw after only a minute. Ino silently pushed her full glass over to her. Sakura gave a thankful smile before she slowly sipped from the straw. She put it down after one sip, determined to make it last.

The waitress came back soon with their plates. She silently placed them on the table before she practically ran away. Sakura frowned, noticing that she had became as much of a plague as the other Uchihas have become. She still thought of her as Konoha's Cherry Blossom but she could tell that more people didn't think so anymore. She shook the thought and tried to enjoy the meal as much as she could.

Sakura was quiet for the most part. She spoke when she was addressed directly but barely offered anything to the conversation otherwise. The food was good, but the vast number of people there was getting to her. She could feel their stares and hear their whispers. Mia noticed as well.

"I think Mr. Uchiha is a great man!" she said suddenly and loudly. All the girls froze, staring at her. The rest of the restaurant went silent, staring at her in disbelief.

"What?" Sakura whispered in response.

Mia looked at her calmly, but spoke loudly again so that everyone could hear her. "I think he is a great man." Sakura blinked in confusion.

"My husband was killed by a sound ninja a few years ago and since then I have held a certain fear for sound ninjas. When that attack occurred the other day, I was scared out of my mind. It's comforting to know that Tsunade has sent out a team to finally deal with the sound nation." She said loudly.

Sakura stared in confusion and then nodded slowly. She didn't know what she was doing and she felt nervous under everyone's stares.

"Tsunade wants them to take out Orochimaru once and for all." Tenten stated, not loudly but everyone could hear since no one was talking besides them.

Mia smiled. "I think Mr. Uchiha is a brave man to take on that mission. He is risking his life for the wellbeing of the village and everyone inside of it; as well as the other nations. I'm looking forward to seeing him and the team comes home so I can thank them for protecting us. I can rest easy knowing that our strongest men are out taking care of us." she said loudly again.

She smiled calmly and then took a sip of her drink, seeming to be completely at ease with everyone staring. Sakura glanced at the others at the table, seeing the other confused looks on their faces equal to her own. Mia smiled at them pleasantly and then glanced at their empty plates. "Check please." she called.

The exited the restaurant quickly and walked a little down the street before they all stopped. They stared at her in confusion, silently asking for an explanation. She smiled sheepishly. "This village is controlled my gossip. A show like that will turn heads and will surely make some question their bad opinions about the Uchiha family," She looked down. "I'm sorry for intruding."

Sakura blinked. "No, thank you. It means a lot that you did that for me and my family."

Mia shook her head. "It's no problem. I hate to see a nice family suffering because of how close-minded the population is."

Sakura reached out and gently pulled her into a hug, fresh tears welled in her eyes. "Thank you so much." She whispered.

Mia shook her head and reassured her it was no problem. The group stood there for a moment more before they decided to part ways. Mia had some grocery shopping to attend to and Sakura was feeling pretty tired. Mia left and the rest went home. Once home, Sakura talked with the girls for a moment before she stated that she was going to go take a nap.

She went up to the bedroom and closed the door behind her. Moving to grab an empty journal, she climbed into bed. She started a letter addressed to Sasuke. The contents held how much she missed him and how she felt she was falling apart. She told of her efforts to appear strong and how hard it was to hide how she was feeling. She told him of her adventures of the day and how much lying in bed without him drove her crazy.

She silently resolved to write to him about her day and the daily happenings. This way, he wouldn't miss anything and he could read it all when he got home- because she refused to think that he wouldn't come home.

She wrote several pages before she slowly closed the book. She ran her hand over the hard surface of it before she slipped it under his pillow, where it would be safe. She slowly laid down and stared his pillow. She rested her hand in it gently before she closed her eyes to rest.

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**Well, yeah. Not the best but i tried. Review please. Reviews help me get through the writers block.**


	38. Chapter 38

**Well, what can i possibly say to justify my long absence. Nothing really. All i can say is i'm sorry and i've had a lot on my mind lately that, combined with writers block, it is almost utterly crippling my abilty to write. Yeah, it sucks. So sorry.**

**Well, i'm going to take this opportunity to rant and make myself feel better. My school has recently just started offering this great schooling opportunity. There is this program that allows next years juniors (this years sophmores like me) to attend Macomb Community College while attending high school. It is a truely amazing opportunity because one would earn enough credits to get their associates degree by the time you graduate high school. I would go to school at my school for half the day next year and then the other half at the college. The next year i would go to school for about 1/4th of the time and then college for 3/4th of the time. The only flaw to this program is it would put me behind in my schooling for a year and i would graduate in 2013 instead of with my class of 2012. So considering everything, i appiled for the program. I have since filled out a paper application with my counselor- who mailed in that along with my transcript, and test scores- and an online application for Macomb. Now, i have to go take an entrance exam on the 20th and then i will recieve word as to if i get into the program or not in April. The whole thing is crazy and freaking me out. I have a huge fear of growing up and here i am, applying for college at the age of 15! Not too mention that i have no car yet so i have rely on my mom drive to and from the two schools, which would mean that my mom would have to quit her job in order to drive me. So now i have to get a car to make things easier on my mom- because i hate burdening her- but i also need a job to pay for said non-existing car!**

**And to just add to my stress, my parents are painting the house. This means that the living room and hallway are completely empty and then is paint crap, and tarps everwhere. Just a while ago, my dog- who likes to lay down in the middle of everything- decided to lay on the tarp covered couch. Now my Dad had put the paint dish thingy ther so that my two dogs wouldn't step in it and my dumb dog stepped in it any ways. We now have little white pawprints on our green carpet. Yeah, it's pretty funny, but we have to clean it up now. And another burden on my shoulders is that one of my friends isn't really talking to me anymore (though he did kiss my hand today and walked away) and the another friend that i have been talking to lives in Arizona and i miss him like crazy. Yeah. Fun.**

**So now that i'm done ranting (complaining), i shoud probably talk about the story. Well, i feel i should mention some reviewers. I will start by mentioning **Kurisutiian-chan**. YAH! I'm not alone in my love of Jane Austen! The books have come in and i have been reading whenever i can spare a moment, meaning mostly at school. Thanks for the praise and the understanding about writing and my grammer. I try and thats the best one can ask for. Next i must mention my dear friend **CrazyGreyWolfGirl** becasuse she, like me, agree. GO ROONIE! lol thank you for the praise of my choice of music. I personally find my taste pretty freakin awesome, but hey, i'm a little bias (But only a little). Finally i will mention **sweetD87** for messaging me and finally getting my butt moving on this chapter. I think everyone should thank them. They likes to kick my butt into gear by messaging me with a question as to when i'm updating or offering their assitance or advise. Thank you so much!**

**Thank you to everyone that reviewed. Sorry for the delay. But enjoy ( it sucks caus ei didn't edit this one very good)**

* * *

It was getting colder. September passed slowly for Sakura without Sasuke. She hadn't heard any news from him or the team at all and she was close to going mad with worry. She wasn't willing to show this and had gotten better at hiding all the pain she was in.

Now at the end of October, Sakura had just reached the eighth month mark and was thirty five weeks along. Tsunade was watching her carefully because of all the stress and the fragile state that Sakura was in was starting to put a strain on the baby as well. Tsunade has warned her excessively to take it easy or she was going to put her on bed rest soon.

Sakura now stood in front of the mirror, trying to make herself look presentable. Her parents were coming over today and she was nervous about them watching her too carefully. She knows her parents will be watching to really see if she is okay or if she is just faking it. She had managed to wiggle out of seeing them for awhile but she got stuck this time.

Sakura decided to try and make herself look really pretty. She was feeling huge right now, and was sad and just needed something to boost up her energy. Maybe looking good will help. It would be one less thing to worry about and she can try to relax as much as she can for the sake of her little baby.

Giving up trying to go it herself, she called the girls in. They came quickly, not liking to leave her alone for too long. They found her sitting on the closed toilet seat, folded up as best as her stomach will allow. She gave a frustrated sigh and pointed to her hair, half of it curled messily and the other half was a tangled mess. "Help?"

Ino laughed once and then stepped up, taking the brush off the small counter. "How did you manage this?" she asked with a snort as she tried in vain to untangle it. She winced at getting her hair pulled and Ino apologized.

Tenten sighed and turned on the shower. "You aren't going to be able to get that out. Come here so I can wet it down and we'll start from the beginning."

Sakura pulled herself over to the edge of the tub and sat down. She leaned her head over the side while Tenten removed the showerhead and began rinsing her hair. Once done, it was easier to comb through the tangles that Sakura had managed to get herself into. Hinata then took over with the blow-dryer. It was Ino who finished it up by curling it.

Sakura quickly did some simple make-up-some eyeliner and mascara- before the girls helped her pick out an outfit. They decided on a light red shirt and a pair of pants. Sakura glanced in the mirror when she was finished and was sort of satisfied. She looked fat, in her opinion, but it was the best she's looked since Sasuke left.

The girls headed downstairs to await for her parents to arrive. Sakura was at the stairs when she held a voice that made her heart break. From somewhere in the house she could hear singing in a familiar voice. She glanced at the girls and saw how they had all froze, watching her.

She pushed past them and followed the voice, it leading her to the living room. She stopped at the doorway and looked in, surprised to see nothing out of the ordinary. Seto was sitting on the couch, and Mikoto was in her playpen in the corner of the room. The familiar voice, which had caused Sakura' s reaction, was drifting beautifully from the stereo. Sakura felt her heart sink, listening to a recording of Sasuke singing. She hadn't known that hearing his voice would hurt this much if he wasn't next to her.

Ino stepped behind her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. There was a long pause before she spoke. "He didn't want them to forget the sound of his voice. I helped him record it before he left." she muttered, referring to the recording. Currently playing was the song Sasuke would sing to Seto whenever he was upset.

A sniffle interrupted Sakura's thoughts and she really examined the room. Mikoto was fine, completely unaffected. Seto, however, was sitting on the edge of the couch with a picture frame in his hand, softly crying.

Sakura went to his side and sat next to him. He stiffened and wiped his tears from his face, refusing to look at her. Sakura gently leaned in and pulled him into her lap, his back pressed against her stomach. She rested her chin on his head, looking at the photo in his hand.

It was one of her favorite; her boys. It was taken awhile ago by herself. It was a close up of Sasuke and Seto. Sasuke was smirking beautifully and Seto was smiling brightly, entranced by a butterfly in the corner of the picture that had flow close to them.

"I love this picture. It's one of my favorites." Sakura whispered to her son and heard him sniffle in response.

A silence followed afterward, both staring at the picture and thinking of better times. A lone tear landed on Sakura's wrist and she squeezed the crying boy tighter. She kissed the top of his head, fighting to keep her own tears at bay.

"When is Daddy getting home?" Seto choked after a moment, finally just letting it all out and curling up against his mother in search of comfort. She squeezed him tighter and gently rocked him.

"I don't know, baby; I don't know." she whispered back, silent tears streaking across her cheeks.

"I want my daddy." Seto mumbled repeatedly into her chest. Sakura clenched her eyes close, wishing she could do something to calm him. But she knew that only Sasuke could calm the hurt that Seto was feeling. Only Sasuke's presence could fix the hole in the small family.

xOx

It was early in the morning and they were still traveling. They had left the first base and had investigated another nearby base, that one turning up as empty as the last. They were currently traveling towards the next nearest base, hoping this one will have at least a clue.

Naruto yawned next to him. They were all tired. They had decided to skip making camp and settling for the night and instead walked through the night, for there was a small town coming up where they could rest. As a result of this plan, they were all tired, dirty and hungry. And to add to it, Sasuke was currently suffering from one massive caffeine withdrawal, creating a very cranky Sasuke.

Sasuke took a sharp breath. He missed his family so much that it was actually starting to physically hurt. It felt like there was a hole in this chest, making it hard for him to breath. In his tired and hungry state, this pain felt even worse. It felt as if he was going to go insane any moment. Maybe he was just too tired or just really needed coffee. He didn't know but he needed some sort of relief.

And this relief came in the sight of the small town. They turned around the last bend in the road and were suddenly walking down the main street. Looking around the town, it looked like there wasn't much there. There were a few shops and restaurants along the main street. You turn down one road and you are lead to bars places of that sorts, another road to the residence's houses and then another led to the one inn in town.

Sasuke glanced around and then removed his mask, eying the shops and people in front of him. A few stopped to stare at him, whether they found him cute or gross looking in his current state, he wasn't sure. Neji nodded to the group. "We should split up. One group should secure us some rooms at the inn while the others get food and clean clothes."

They nodded in agreement and silently split up. Neji and Shikamaru went to the inn, both Itachi and Kisame following to avoid the risk of being identified. Naruto, Sasuke, Lee, and Kiba all set out on the other task. Soon after splitting up, Lee and Naruto went to find the food while Sasuke and Kiba found some clothes.

The two boys steeped into a small store and Kiba went straight to the back while Sasuke lingered towards the front of the store. Kiba was actually on task, while Sasuke found himself getting distracted. He soon found himself in front of a shelf of baby clothes and items.

He stared at the items in front of him for such a long time that a storekeeper approached him. She smiled kindly, though was obviously suspicious of the strange, dirty man staring blankly at the baby stuff. "Can I help you with something?"

Sasuke eyed a sign above a stack of clothes. The sign proudly exclaimed 'GENDER NEUTRAL' and he frowned in response. The lady eyed him. "Sir?" she asked uncertainly after getting no response.

"Why does everyone say that yellow is gender neutral? I've never seen any proper man wear yellow, nor have bright yellow walls in their bedroom. I just don't understand why people think yellow is gender neutral." He said suddenly, it coming out in a rush with sudden frustration that even Sasuke didn't know why he was feeling.

The woman blinked in surprise and tried to be professional. "Well if you don't like yellow, you could always go with green." she suggested.

Sasuke slowly turned his head to stare at her blankly and her eyes widened. "Green, really?" he whispered. She blinked and stepped back.

Sasuke turned his whole body so that he was now facing her. "Green is an even dumber color. When I see green, the first thing that comes to mind is an alien. 'Congratulations, you're having an alien!'" he shouted, alarming the entire store. Kiba dropped whatever he was doing to go check on Sasuke.

"Pick pink or blue. If you don't know, then get white." Sasuke said, before leaned his head against the shelf. He whole body felt as if it was going to collapse from exhaustion. He needed to go lay down, but for some reason all his mind could think of was stupid colors.

Kiba just blinked in astonishment as he stared at Sasuke, leaned heavily against the shelf while ranting about colors. Kiba tired to follow Sauske's train of thought, but none of what he was saying was starting to make any sense. With each second, Sasuke became more and more incoherent.

Finally deciding to save the poor woman who looked rather scared at this moment, Kiba stepped up to Sasuke. He smiled at the woman apologetically and then grabbed Sasuke's arm. Sasuke groaned, now mumbling something about the color purple, and was hoisted onto Kiba's back. Kiba looked to the woman. "I'm so sorry. My friend is just extremely tired. I'm going to go now and I promise that this will never happen again."

The woman nodded, though she didn't seem to understand nor really believe that was all that was wrong with him. Kiba quickly ducked out of the store before any more trouble could occur. He went to the inn only to meet up with Neji in the front hall. Neji eyed them both and then quickly asked what happened.

Kiba sighed. "I don't even know. One moment he was fine, and I left him alone for two seconds, and then he's making a huge scene about how yellow and green aren't gender neutral. He's completely out of his mind!" Kiba exclaimed.

Neji quickly ushered him to their room. Unfortunately, it was a small inn and there were a few people staying there so they could only get one room. When they entered, Shikamaru was seated at the table while Kisame was in a chair and Itachi was seated on the edge of the bed. Itachi took one look at them and rushed to Sasuke's side, gently pulling him off Kiba back and moving him to the bed. Kiba explained again what happened.

Kisame stepped up behind Itachi. "Is he okay?"

Itachi nodded. "I think so. He's asleep now but I think he should be fine after some rest." he said, pushing some hair away from his face so he could feel his forehead. He nodded again. "I think he's just stressed and tired. He's not running a fever; I think he'll be fine."

Neji considered this for a moment. "Yeah, I've seen him act this way before. He works himself to the point where he can't even focus anymore and then becomes hysterical."

Itachi shook his head and muttered something about his foolishly little brother. He then began removing all Sasuke's gear from his sleeping form. The boys watched as Itachi silently tried to make his little brother as comfortable as possible.

Not long after Sasuke was comfortably settled under the blankets did Naruto and Lee burst through the door. Naruto looked around with wide eyes and then rushed to Sasuke's side, practically pouncing on his sleeping form. "SASUKE!!" he shouted in alarm. Lee then began in a lengthy spew about how they had heard about the occurrence in the grocery store. It was a small town and word travels quickly.

Itachi pulled Naruto away from Sasuke quickly. "He's fine. Leave him alone to rest." he barked harshly.

Naruto frowned at the older Uchiha. "I have to make sure he gets home to his family in one piece," he said in a determined and serious face.

Itachi stared back at him with a blank face. "I respect that, but the best way for you to do that is to let him rest right now. He's stressed and passed out from exhaustion. Let him rest and I assure you he will be fine."

Naruto turned and eyed Sasuke before he eyed Itachi again. With a sigh, he nodded slowly and then moved to sit at the corner foot of the bed, leaning against the wall. The room elapsed into an awkward pause before Kiba broke it. "I've never seen Sasuke so . . . human. I've never seen him show any sort of weakness. It's just so strange."

"It's not in the Uchiha nature to show emotions when we can help it." Itachi stated bluntly, not sure how to feel about Kiba's comment.

Itachi silently moved over to the bed as well, calmly sitting next to Naruto against the wall to watch over Sasuke closely. "Did you get any coffee?" he asked Naruto calmly.

Naruto nodded halfheartedly. "Yeah, I could tell Sasuke was getting fidgety without it," he muttered. "Stupid caffeine addict." he added as an afterthought

xOx

Sakura got herself and Seto cleaned up just in time for her parents to arrive. She greeted as well as she could, hoping that they didn't notice how much of a wreck she was. They greeted her kindly in response, warmly embracing her. Sakura noticed that they weren't watching her as closely as everyone else was, but they were still watching. They were worried about her.

Sakura smiled as cheerfully as should could and suggested they all go out to eat. She hoped that it would be harder for them to watch her in public than in the privacy of her home. Her mother seemed to study her and, upon seeing her deep desire for a acceptance of this plan, readily agreed for her daughters sake.

Sakura sighed in relief and then collected the kids. Hinata held Mikoto while Sakura gripped Seto's hand, wanting him by her side. They exited the house and made there way to a restaurant that Sakura had been craving to eat at. Because of her pregnancy, she had been eating out more than she usually did.

The walk there was uneventful. People stared, but not in disgust like she usually got. Since the lunch scene, people hadn't been staring like they used to. People didn't know what to thank anymore. While some have a strong dislike for the Uchiha family, it was hard to know what to think with the rumors floating around. They held a deep respect for anyone who fought to protect the village, especially from the sound threat. So, hearing that Sasuke was on the mission confused people; they no longer were sure if they should still hate him or respect him.

They were seated quickly and given time to brose the menu before a waitress came to get the orders for the drinks. She left quickly after and reappeared soon after. After distributing the respected drinks, she took their orders. Telling that their orders would be ready soon, she left again.

Sakura quietly sipped her drink, dreading what was to come next. Her father looked at her casually, but she knew him better. "So, how are you?" he asked casually.

Sakura mentally sighed, not wanting to have this conversation. She knew they were worried about her and the kids, but didn't want to overwhelm them with questions. So instead they were going to subtly hint at it. She tried to put a calm and happy front on. "Fine. A little tired but that's to be expected with pregnancy."

Mr. Haruno nodded, displeased with how she dodged the real meaning behind his causal question. He said nothing to her directly, but he was still displeased. He looked to his wife and she took her turn now. "How are the kids doing?" she asked pleasantly.

Sakura sighed. She was silent for a long moment before speaking. "As well as can be expected."

There was a pause and Sakura stared at her drink. Fortunately, the waitress came back with another waitress assisting her to deliver the food. Sakura smiled gratefully at her and was about to take a bite when she noticed that the woman had not walked away. Sakura looked at her, seeing the woman standing hesitantly by her side. Sakura eyed her. "Is there something wrong?" she asked pleasantly.

The woman looked at her hesitantly and chewed on her lip. Finally, she seemed to summon her courage and spoke. "Forgive me for intruding, if you find my question to be inappropriate, please tell me; I don't wish to upset you in any way, " she said and Sakura nodded in encouragement, though she silently feared what the girl would ask next. "Is the rumors true that Uchiha has left on a mission to hunt Orochimaru and destroy the sound threat?"

The surrounding area quieted, eavesdropping on Sakura's question. Sakura smiled sadly. "Yes. I can't give any big details but the rumor is true. My husband left is off on an important mission."

The waitress's eyes widened and she took a step back in shock. She clutched her heart. "HUSBAND!?" she exclaimed in shock and confusion.

The entire restaurant seemed to turn and stare in disbelief. Sakura mentally slapped herself, cursing herself for letting something like that slip. She eyed the many people staring at her. She took a deep breath and nodded, knowing there was no way out of this. "Yes, my husband."

The waitress blinked in shocked but tried to politely compose herself. "Oh, I didn't know you were married."

Sakura nodded slowly. "Yes, just recently. I'm sure you would have found out when I paid for the meal. My name on the credit card is Mrs. Sakura Uchiha," she stated calmly.

The waitress blinked and smiled politely, still in obvious shock. "Yes, you are probably right. Well, congratulations,"

Sakura nodded and thanked her. The waitress stood for a moment more before telling them to enjoy then food and then disappeared.

Sakura looked to others at the table, noticing their tense postures. Ino smiled supportively. "Well, that went well considering everything. I had thought it was going to be a lot worse."

Sakura nodded, considering it. It had happened rather easily only because the waitress was a kind soul and didn't wish to pry or be rube. But this was only the beginning. It had just gotten out and soon everyone was going to know and Sakura couldn't help but fear what their reactions were going to be. She hoped that they will accept it like some were beginning to accept Sasuke , but she doubted everyone will. She just had to pray that no one completely freaks out and starts giving her an even harder time.

The rest of the lunch progressed uneasily. Everyone stared and the group ended up finishing early and taking the leftovers home. When Sakura got up, the entire restaurant eyed her and looked for the ring on her finger. Those who were able to see it immediately started discussing it; talking about how she really had a engagement and wedding ring on her left hand, and the size of the diamond. Sakura did her best to try and ignore it.

The waitress wished them a good day and the group headed home quickly where they finished the rest of their meal. The rest of the day was spent at leisure in the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Haruno stayed until dinner time and the girls had their own dinner.

Shortly after dinner, Sakura went upstairs to bath. She took a quick shower and then exited the bathroom. She dressed as quickly as she could in her large state and then brushed through her hair. After pulling her hair into a ponytail, she started towards the door, thinking of joining the girls again.

She got to the stairs when she had to stop. Suddenly she felt short of breath and a weird tightening sensation on the top part of her belly. It didn't necessarily hurt, but it was extremely uncomfortable to the point where she had to hunch over a little to try and ease the feeling. The only problem was that after she got into this position, she was having trouble standing up straight again. She took a deep breath to try and ease some of the discomfort and gently rubbed her stomach.

Tenten just happened to be walking by glanced up to see her. Instantly alarmed, she called her name loudly and rushed up the stairs. She gently grabbed Sakura shoulder to try and support her but Sakura was starting to get a better hold again. It had only lasted a few seconds, no longer than fifteen or twenty. "Sakura, are you okay?" Tenten asked in an anxious tone.

Sakura nodded, noticing that Ino and Hinata were both heading towards her now. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"What happened?" Ino asked in a worried tone.

Sakura chewed on her lip for a second. "I think I might have had a contraction."

The girls all blinked in surprise and then gently guided her down the stairs. "Are you okay? Are you in any pain?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, it didn't hurt. It was just comfortable."

Tenten eyed her in momentary confusion. "Aren't contractions supposed to hurt?"

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. I've heard that its different for everyone and, if you hadn't noticed, I'm kind of new at this. I'm not sure if it really was one or not. I didn't study pregnancy while I was in school," she said calmly.

Hinata eyed her. "I think we should go talk to Tsunade just to be sure." she said and then others nodded in agreement. Sakura consider this and then nodded as well, trying to stay calm.

They grabbed the kids and headed out the door quickly. Sakura was holding up fine and only had to stop one time during the walk there when another one hit her. The Ino and Hinata anxiously ushered her to the hospital while Tenten went ahead to tell Tsunade and get a room ready. A nurse was waiting by the door with a wheelchair.

They spent a considerable amount of time at the hospital. Tsuande ran tests and did several ultrasounds to be sure but found nothing to alarming. She looked at Sakura calmly. "Well, the baby is fine and so are you. From the looks of it, you are experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions. You are a little early than I would like, only thirty five weeks along, but it doesn't mean that the baby is coming right this moment."

Sakura frowned. "But I'm early. My due-date is in November. What happens if he comes in the next few days?"

Tsunade cleaned the jelly off of Sakura stomach. "Well, while I hope it doesn't come that early, if it does than we will just have to deal with it then. Your baby looks really strong and, while it would still be considered premature, most of it's basic physical developments are now complete. In these next few weeks, your baby will be putting on weight. If it comes before it is full-term then you have my promise that all the best staff will be here to care for it and do our bests to care for everything.

"But, if we can just hold on for only two more weeks than you would be considered full-term. I want to start seeing you every week, at least once if not twice. I want to keep a close eye on you. I want you to start looking for signs of labor. You may feel your baby drop, meaning you feel a heaviness on your pelvis and less pressure on your ribcage. You may also experience more Braxton Hicks so keep an eye on that. Also, if you find that the "bloody show" occurs, then that's a sign that labor is close and obviously, if your water breaks."

Sakura nodded, taking everything in. "How will I know if it is real contractions or Braxton Hicks?"

Tsunade stood up and held her chart in her hand. "Braxton Hicks are unpredictable. They are irregular while real ones will start will start coming at short intervals and last longer. Real ones will also grow more intense as they go along. Also another sign is that Braxton Hicks may subside on their own or when you start or stop doing something or changing positions. Real contractions will not stop no matter what you do."

Sakura sighed. "Sounds exciting."

Tsunade laughed and helped her student sit up. "Yes, it's all a part of the miracle of life. Now, take good care of yourself and take it easy. We want to keep this baby in for at lest two more weeks."

Sakura nodded and was soon able to leave. After giving a call to her parents to let them know what was going on and assuring them that she was fine, she was able to go upstairs to rest. The girls made sure she was as comfortable as possible before leaving her to rest.

She lay in bed for a long time, thinking about the new development. She gently rubbed her stomach. Wishing that she had Sasuke by her side now more than ever. Her body was preparing for the birth of their child and he was off in god knows where. It killed her to think that he wouldn't make it but it was looking that way.

Sakura silently closed her eyes, thinking of happier times and trying to remember what it felt like to have his arms around her while she slept.

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**Well, did you like? Sorry if it wasn't my best work. I tried. Well tell me what you think. I love hearing form you!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Yo. So i thought that i would give you another. The last update took forever and a lifetime so i tried to push this one out quickly. I'm going to warn you, some may not like.**

**So i'd like to thank all that reviewed. You are amazing. **

**And i'd also like to say that i'm totally screwed. Why? Well, i took a little practice test for the one college program thing i mentioned last chapter. Well, part of it i have to edit a writing piece. I'm totally fucked. I can't even edit my own story properly. I'm screwed!**

* * *

Sasuke awoke the next day feeling confused as to where he was but refreshed. He looked around him and noticed Itachi and Naruto sleeping in sitting positions beside him on the bed, Kisame and Kiba each scrunched up in a chair and Lee, Neji and Shikamaru in sleeping bags on the ground. He blinked in confusion, having to memory as to how he got there. He remembered entering the store with Kiba and then his memory ends there.

Slowly he slipped out of the bed and slowly made his way to the kitchen area. He found a small dinner roll and started eating that, feeling like he hadn't eaten in years. He opened a cabinet, just to see what was in there, and froze at the sight of a familiar cylinder. He smiled happily and quickly started the coffee pot, anxiously waiting for it to be ready.

After drinking one cup of coffee, he went and took a well needed shower. He wasn't in there long, just long enough to get clean. When he exited the bathroom he was surprised to find that everyone was still sleeping. He looked at the little clock on the nightstand and was surprised at how early it really was; barely four thirty in the morning.

He considered briefly going back to bed but decided against it and instead fixed another cup of coffee. He stood in the kitchen, silently sipping the warm heavenly liquid, for an unknown amount of time before deciding to go for a walk. He dressed quietly in casual clothes, not wanting to draw attention in his uniform.

Switching the mug for a plastic cup, he slipped out the door and started roaming the streets. There wasn't much to be seen in such a small town, but Sasuke just needed the fresh air. He spotted a bench in the center of town and laid down, stretched across it. It was cloudy out, Sasuke noticed.

His mind drifted to home. He wondered how Sakura and the kids were doing. Were they doing okay? Struggling? Did they miss him as much as he missed them?

Sasuke was suddenly interrupted from his thoughts as he sensed something coming. Acting on reflex, he flipped backwards off the bench and rolled until he was able to get his feet underneath him. He now stood a good distance away from the bench where a red-haired girl was now sitting. He eyed her warily.

She was smiling sweetly at him, seeming to have no hostile intent. She wore a pair of black short shorts and a purple shirt. She wore boots and dark, thick glasses and seemed vaguely familiar to him for some reason.

"Good morning, Sasuke!" she exclaimed before slowly getting up and started to strut over to him.

Sasuke let his eyes bleed red and she stopped. Sasuke let forth some of his chakra to frighten her and she took a step back. She seemed to study him for a moment before she smiled again. "I forgot how dark your chakra was. I'll admit it scared me for a moment," she said with a small laugh.

Sasuke blinked and tried to wreck his brain for any recollection of her. He shifted through memory after memory, trying to remember. She must have noticed because she spoke. "You probably don't remember me, we only met officially one time, and ran into each other once before that, and you had been distracted both times."

She sat back down on the bench casually. "You were taking care of your little nephew. Orochimaru had called you in to discuss something or other, to be honest I don't even remember what it was. I was already there for my own meeting with him when you came in with the little boy, interrupting us. You set down the boy and let him go play in the corner while you talked. Kabuto introduced us but you were too busy watching the little boy to really pay attention."

Sasuke blinked and tried to recollect it. He remembered Seto and Orochimaru, but not much else. Through she did seem familiar to him, so there could be some truth in it.

"So is this where you have been hiding out? And here we thought you were in Konoha this whole time."

Sasuke kept quiet. He wasn't sure what to make of her, but she did seem to know about Orochimaru. Maybe she knew where he was. Sasuke considered this for a moment before he spoke. "What are you doing here?"

She pulled off her glasses momentarily. "Well, I guess I just didn't enjoy being Orochimaru's pet anymore. It was nice at first, with how much he trusted me and all the things he allowed me to do, but I guess I just grew tired of it. I'm supposed to be on a mission but I just started wandering off. And as luck would have it, I stumbled along you."

He studied her. She seemed perfectly relaxed and didn't seem to be lying but he didn't trust her still. "Where is Orochimaru now?"

She put her glasses back on. "Back at the base. He probably doesn't know I ran off yet so he wouldn't have switched bases yet," she added a flirtatious smile.

Sasuke slowly stepped forward, ignoring the smile. "Where is the base?"

She eyed him before she suddenly jolted up and threw herself at him. Sasuke stiffened considerably, completely shocked and confused. He tried to detangle himself quickly but she held on tight. "YAH! ARE YOU GOING BACK!? BECAUSE I WILL GLADLY GO BACK WITH YOU! ANYTHING FOR YOU!" she screamed in his ear while he tried to pull away.

Sasuke cursed loudly and finally pushed her away. He was temped to yell that he was married, but decided against it. She could still be of some use to him and he didn't want her to completely turn away from him.

She seemed disappointed that he pushed her away but she quickly recovered. She stepped up and placed her hand flat on his chest, looking at him very seriously. "Please, Sasuke, I love you. I will do anything for you as long as I get to be with you. We can go back or we can run away together. Please, I love you so much."

Sasuke blinked and stepped back, studying her. She seemed to be telling the truth. Her eyes held no hit of a lie and her voice sounded completely heartfelt. Sasuke mentally blinked in surprise, wondering how this girl could be so in love with him when he didn't even know her name.

She slowly took a step forward and stared at the ground. "Please," she whimpered weakly.

"You really love me . . . ," he trailed off and she looked up at him, her eyes glassy.

"With all my heart! I would do anything for you!"

Sasuke was silent for a long moment. "I want to kill Orochimaru," he stated bluntly and she stared at him.

"I will help you if you want me too!" she exclaimed and clutched his shirt in her hands.

"I need to know where he is," Sasuke continued.

She nodded her head and tears flew into the air. "I can sense chakras and track people! If Orochimaru does flee the base then I can track his chakra and hunt him down!"

Sasuke inwardly smiled. The team had a tracker now instead of just blindly hunting through old bases. "What's your name?"

She blinked in surprise and then quickly answered. "Karin."

Sasuke nodded. "Well, Karin, let's go talk to my team."

She blinked in surprise. "You have a team?"

Sasuke nodded but otherwise ignored the question. He started for the inn and she rushed to keep pace. "So I get to join you?" she questioned.

"Only if my team okays you joining us."

She kept quiet after that, linking her arm with his. He eyed her and then quickly detangled himself, but she latched on again as soon as he was free from her grasp. He sighed. "Can you let go?" he snapped, hating the feeling of another woman on his arm while his heart belonged to Sakura.

She slowly let go and Sasuke quickened his pace. He led her to their room and silently entered. Taking a look around, Lee, Kiba, Shikamaru and Naruto still slept while the remaining three turned to face him upon his entering. Itachi opened to his mouth to scold his little brother before a girl stepped in behind him and he froze.

The three stood in momentary shock before Neji was able to speak. "Sasuke, . . .," he trailed off in a warning and questioning tone.

Sasuke turned to the girl and pointed to a empty chair. "Sit," he instructed before heading into the kitchen where the Neji and Itachi followed and Kisame stood to watch over the girl.

"Please, tell me you did not pick up some whore. You are a married man, you idiot," Neji snapped upon entering the room.

Sasuke glared in response. "Like hell I could cheat on Sakura," he snapped back.

"Then what is with the girl?"

"She's a tracker and one of Orochimaru's former followers. She knows where the bastard is."

Itachi leaned against the fridge in the small room. "So, you brought her here to help us," he stated.

Sasuke nodded. "I wouldn't have brought her if I didn't think we need her. She could help us get to him a lot sooner than just looking around and hoping to find him like we were doing. I want to kill him and get home to my family and with her help, we may be able to do that soon."

Both men considered this, looking back into the other room. She sat in the chair, looking at Kisame calmly. "Can we trust her?"

Sasuke chewed on his lip. "I honestly don't know. I only just met her but apparently she is willing to do whatever I tell her to."

Neji turned and eyed him. "Why?"

Sasuke chuckled humorlessly. "Because she loves me."

The two men eyed him strangely and then turned to eye the girl. Itachi eyed his little brother. "Show us," he stated calmly. Sasuke gave him a questionable look and, though Itachi did not look, Neji did the same. "We have to see if she is truly an asset to us. If she is will do as we tell her to, then she may just be of use to us after all."

Sasuke eyed his brother seriously. "Okay, what do you want her to do?"

Itachi shrugged, offering no help. Sasuke sighed and stepped back into the other room with the others following him. As soon as Sasuke entered the room, Karin looked at him with dreamy eyes. Sasuke studied her for a long moment. "Karin, go kiss Kisame," he said, gestured to said man, who shouted as 'what!?'

Karin frowned deeply. "But I don't want too. I only want to be with you."

Sasuke kept his face calm. "Karin, I am telling you that I want you to kiss him. You said that you would do anything for me."

Her face scrunched up in protest. "But I . . ." she trailed off.

"Are you going to do it or not?" Sasuke questioned.

Karin stared at him for a long moment before she slowly got up. With a determined face, she stared right at Sasuke as she walked over to Kisame. Without a second thought, she pulled his mouth to hers and shared a long kiss with him while she continued to stare at Sasuke the entire time.

After a long moment, she pushed him away and wiped her mouth in disgust. She then turned back to Sasuke, a sort of smug look on her face. Sasuke held her eyes for a moment longer before he turned to look at Neji and Itachi. Neji seemed pleased while Itachi kept a blank face. Sasuke's stare lingered on Itachi and said man looked back at him. Their eyes met and they shared a silent conversation.

Itachi then turned and looked at Karin, still looking at Sasuke. Itachi leaned back against the wall. "Strip," he ordered the girl.

She glared harshly at him. "I'm not a whore! I have principles!"

Itachi eyed his brother and Sasuke then looked at Karin calmly. "Do what you are told," he ordered.

She stared at him in disbelief for a long moment before she tore her eyes away from him. She stared at the ground angrily as she slowly reached up to unzip her shirt. The four men watched as her shirt her shirt was opened, revealing her black bra and mesh shirt underneath. With slow and hesitant movements, she began to slip the garment off her body.

Sasuke eyed his brother quickly before he ordered Karin to stop. Her shirt was barely hanging off her shoulder and she stared at him in confusion. "You have proved that you will do anything for me. Put your shirt back on."

She blinked. "You were testing me."

Sasuke smirked. "I'm distrustful by nature,"

She eyed him. "So does this mean that I can stay . . . ," she trailed off in a questioning tone. Sasuke nodded in response.

Joy suddenly overwhelmed her. She jumped up with a squeal, waking the final sleeping members, and then ran to Sasuke's side. She jumped into his arms, much to his surprise and dismay, and hugged him tightly while he tried to pry her off. "OH, MY DEAR SASUKE!" she squealed loudly before she made an extremely bold move.

She suddenly loosened her hold and pull back. Sasuke had nearly pried her when she suddenly assaulted his lips. Shocked beyond belief, Sasuke completely froze as her lips moved against his. Naruto, Kiba and Lee all yelled in protest, extremely confused about why a strange woman was now kissing Sasuke, a married man.

Sasuke then quickly unthawed and gasped. Karin took this opportunity to slip her tongue in his mouth. Sasuke, now in serve panic mode, pushed her away harshly. She landed on the ground with a large thud and she yelped in pain and surprise. Sasuke wiped his mouth, his eyes wide in shock, and marched to the bathroom where he dug out some mouth wash.

Naruto marched into the bathroom after him and slugged him hard in the jaw. Sasuke flew back and hit the shower stall, spitting the mouthwash out everywhere. "WHAT THE HELL, TEME!!?" Naruto shouted.

Itachi grabbed Naruto and pulled him outside roughly. The blonde shouted and struggled like mad while Itachi pulled him out into the inn hallway where he became to explain everything.

Karin rushed into the bathroom and reached out to Sasuke, who shook her off. "Get out," Sasuke ordered as he rubbed his jaw. Karin hovered by his side, refusing to leave, before turned to face her. "I said get out!" he shouted harshly. "Get out now!"

Karin finally got up and rushed out of the room, closing the door after her. Sasuke sat back against the shower stall and sighed, wiping his mouth again. He felt disgusted with himself, even though he didn't kiss her back.

Now more than ever did he wish for Sakura. He silently wished that she would gently knock on the bathroom door and let herself in. She would stand by the door for only a moment before she would slowly go to his side and wipe the mouthwash off his face and tend to the throbbing pain in his jaw. She wouldn't say a thing, but he would know that she wasn't mad.

He longed for her so much. He pulled up his knees and rested his head on them. He really needed her right now.

xOx

Sakura silently stared at the hospital wall, really needing him right now. She pulled herself off the uncomfortable hospital bed and stripped herself of the grown they had given her. Once dressed in her own clothes, she exited the room and started for home. The baby was doing good. She had made it to the necessary two weeks and was still doing good. Her examination informed her that she was already a few centimeters dilated. While she suffered from the contractions frequently, they were only Braxton Hicks. Her baby was now considered full-term and she rejoiced at that.

But the contractions and the dilation meant that birth was soon and she was getting nervous. She wanted Sasuke present but she had a feeling that she was going to be alone for it. She had been thinking and she thought that maybe she wanted Ino in the room with her. If Sasuke couldn't be there, then she wanted her.

Ino wasn't too excited about it. When Sakura had proposed the idea she had laughed. But seeing Sakura's serious face made her stop and she decline quickly. "Sorry, Sakura, but there are just some things that can't be unseen."

Unfortunately for Ino, Sakura was able to guilt her into it. So with that settled, the set up a bed for the new baby and gotten any new supplies they needed. They were all prepared for it, but Sakura still felt nervous. She knew it was going to hurt like hell but she thought she could handle it. Still, it was her first child.

She entered the house and smiled as Seto came to greet her. She hugged him close and he told her all about his day, although she was there for most of it.

Hinata had made dinner so everyone sat down to eat. The evening past uneventfully and Sakura went to bed early. After a mere hour of sleeping, Sakura was awakened by a sharp pain. Thinking it was a Braxton Hicks, she adjusted her position to try and ease the pain but the pain did not subside. This one felt different too. This one felt like a pain in her lower back that wrapped around her abdomen. She waited for the pain to subside.

She laid there after that, not sure if it was a real contraction or a fake one. Just as she was about to roll over and try to go back to bed, another hit. She cursed loudly and tried to ease the pain but nothing worked. She waited for the pain to subside again before she called for help. Ino was the first one in.

"Ino, I think it's time," she said.

Ino nodded and helped her out of bed. The girls had prepared for this so they were able to get to the hospital quickly, where Tsunade was waiting. Before Tsunade could even examine her, her water broke all over the floor. Tsunade blinked from her position by the door. "Well, looks like you are in labor," she stated calmly before going to her stupid.

After examining her, she looked at her. "Okay Sakura, you are five centimeters dilated. When you reach ten then you can start pushing, until then we just have to wait."

Sakura sighed, hoping for it to end soon.

A few hours later, she was resting as comfortably as she could be. She was given an epidural and was now just waiting. Ino chewed on her lip and pulled something out of her pocket. "You know, Sakura, Sasuke was very thorough in his planning. He gave me a letter to give to you if he wasn't here for this," she said and then handed her a folded up envelop. Sakura blinked and then slowly opened it.

She was met with messy, left-handed script.

_Dear love,_

_Well, looks like I didn't make it back in time for the birth. I'm sorry that you have to go through this alone but know that I love you with all my heart. Every time my heart beats, it calls for you. I love you dearly.  
__Be strong. I know you are probably scared and nervous, but you have no reason to. You are strong and you are able to do anything. Clear your mind. Think of me and our family. You will be great.  
__I know I was supposed to come up with some name ideas but I drew a blank. I trust you will think of a good name for our child. Though, I have thought about a middle name if we have a boy; Naruto. He's bugged us too much for us to deny him the satisfaction of at least sharing that much.  
__Make sure you give the baby a kiss for me and send my love to my other two. I love you._

_Sasuke _

Sakura's eyes filled with tears and she laughed once. She clutched the letter close to her heart, wishing he was here. She gently rubbed her stomach, finally ready to met the little child inside.

Soon Tsunade came in again and examined her once again. She smiled. "Sakura, it's time."

Sakura laughed once, suffering through another contraction. "Finally, I'm tired of this; it's been eight hours.

Ino took her position at her side, thankfully away from all the action.

xOx

Sakura wiped another tear from her face as she stared down at the small child in her arms. He was born at four sixteen in the morning on November 13th. Ino stood beside her, paler than usually but hanging in. "He's beautiful, Sakura," she whispered.

Sakura nodded happily. "He is, isn't he?" she responded.

Sakura looked down at her son. He was born with his father's dark hair and the Uchiha pale skin. His eyes are currently a dark blue-gray color but Tsunade had informed her that it would change.

Tsunade looked at her student with a smile on her face. "What's his name?"

Sakura looked up. "Kai Naruto Uchiha."

Ino laughed at the middle name, as did Tsunade before she started filling out the birth certificate.

Sakura kissed him gently on the head and then kissed him again for Sasuke. She cried for a long time, switching between pure happiness and sadness because she wasn't able to share this with him. But she held her little baby in her arms the entire time, looking at the little boy that had been growing inside her. She was finally face to face with the power baby that she had struggled so much to carry. And he couldn't be anymore prefect in her eyes.

xOx

Naruto had yet to apologize for punching Sasuke, but Sasuke wasn't really looking for one. The entire team was now up to date with the new member of the time and were each silently watching her carefully. No one fully trusted her and they were all silently waiting for her to slip up.

The team had rested up for awhile and then were quickly on the road again. They had left early in the morning, a little before four in the morning. The walk out of town was completely silent, each member caught up in their own thoughts.

Sasuke had been distracted all night. He had this strange feeling the entire night and he was unable to sleep because of it. Now on the road, the feeling was still there. Then, at a quarter past four, Sasuke froze. The strange feeling suddenly overwhelmed him and he had to stop.

Naruto glanced back when he heard Sasuke stopped and halted the rest of the group. Sasuke stared at the ground for a moment, and everyone wondered what was going on. Naruto silently went to his side.

After a fully minute of standing completely still, Sasuke turned and faced the other direction, towards Konoha. Naruto eyed him. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

Sasuke was silent for a moment. He stared at the empty road behind him, a longing look in his eyes. Naruto called his name once more and Sasuke finally spoke. "I think I'm really a father now," he whispered in a voice so low that Naruto barely caught it.

Naruto blinked and looked down the empty road too. "How do you know?"

Sasuke clutched his heart and took a deep breath. "I just do."

Naruto eyed him and then gently pat his shoulder. "Congrats, Pops." Sasuke smirked in response, but it didn't reach his eyes.

* * *

**Please don't eat. I was hesitant to add karin but i figured it would be an easier way for the boys to get to Orchimaru. And i know many wanted Sasuke hom in time for the birth, sorry but i wrote out a scene that comes in later and the only way for me to fit it in the story was to have Sakura give birth before Sasuke gets back. Sorry again.**

**Please review. Tell me what you think. Hell, random thoughts are nice to find in your mailbox.**


	40. Chapter 40

**Yo, sorry for the delay. I've been busy. But alas! It's spring break and it is well needed! So i took my test and i'm not sure how i did. I get notification of whether i got in or not sometime this month so, wish me luck!**

**I'm not going to say much. I'm tired because i was awoken by a huge thunderstorm this morning and i hate -HATE- thunder so ran and hid in the basement. I've been hiding for awhile. So, anywho, the chapter kind of sucks in my opion but i just wanted to get it up. When the story is finished, i plan to go back and edit and make it better. But, you should know that i already have a nice the end part of the fight scene coming up written so now i just have to write the beginning portion!**

**Thank you all that reviewed! Really, it makes my day. Thank you for all the support.**

**Random time. Playlist used to help get writers juices flowing for this chapter is as follows:**

**Vice on Victory- Hearts Like These**  
**Slow Motion Red Lights- Nothing Short of Lust**  
**This Romantic Tragedy- I'll Shut You Down**  
**We Are the Ocean- These Days I Have Nothing**  
**Motley Crue- If I Die Tomorrow**  
**LobeHateHero- America Underwater**  
**Broadway- The Same Thing We Do Everyday Pinky**  
**Asking Alexandria- The Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)**  
**The Devil Wears Prade- Louder Than Thunder**  
**Before Their Eyes- You Talk A Good Game**  
**From First To Last- Tick Tock Tomorrow (Renholder Remix)**  
**Our Last Night- Escape**  
**Eatmewhileimhot- Mother May I**  
**Vanna- Safe to Say**  
**NeverShoutNever- I Can't Stand It**  
**Sixx A.M.- Life Is Beautiful**  
**Papa Roach- Not Listening**  
**Black Veil Brides- Knives and Pens**  
**Escape The Fate- My Apocalypse**  
**A Static Lullaby- Toxic**  
**3oh!3- Still Around**  
**Paramore- My Heart  
And i think that's it. I recommend all songs mentioned and many more by the same artists!**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

The team sat in a clearing, resting after a long days journey. Word had passed throughout the men about the baby and each man had come up to him at one part of the day to quietly congratulate him. Sasuke had thanked them politely, all the while longing to be home now more than ever.

Sasuke had sent one of his fastest snakes back home for a full update and had since been anxiously awaiting the news. But with each passing moment, became more and more anxious, resulting with him being in a weird mood. The guys had all picked up on this and had left him alone for the most part. Karin, however, had not.

Sasuke now sat on a rock, silently eating an apple. Karin sat next to him, babbling on about something or other and trying to flirt with him. She reached over and lightly touched his arm. "I like the fall, though I prefer the summer much better. The summer is my favorite season!"

"I hate the summer," Sasuke muttered while pulling his arm way from her. In truth, he didn't really mind the summer but she was really annoying him and he wanted to be left alone.

She blinked in surprise and backtracked. "Oh, me too. I like the winter so much better."

"Winter sucks," Sasuke muttered.

She eyed him nervously. "Spring?"

Sasuke tensed. He couldn't bring himself to lie about the spring. The spring was his favorite season. The spring was when he was to get married, and have the large wedding. As a child, he used to watch his mother garden in the spring. It's when the cherry blossoms bloom and remind him of Sakura. While in the sound, Sasuke used to sit with Seto in his arms under this one cherry blossom tree. It was possibly the happiest memory he had of his time in the sound.

Sasuke stood and walked away from Karin then, choosing to ignore her and her stupid question. Instead, he took to pacing around their camp. The guys eyed him, but said nothing as he stressed himself out.

xOx

Sakura sat in the hospital bed, resting. Her parents had already visited and had gushed over the her little boy. Her mother had cried while she held Kai, balling her eyes out as she held the tiny sleeping child. Her mother then switched to holding Sakura and crying while her father held Kai. Sakura had laughed, and humored her mother none the less.

Her father was much more controlled. When he got a chance to hold his grandson, he had silently drifted over to the window where he stared down at the child in his arms in amazement. He had forgotten how small babies were, and was even more surprised because Kai is smaller than Sakura had been. Sakura had one of those children that didn't want to be born and as a result, she was able to grow bigger in the womb. But Kai was born, just barely full-term, but already stronger than Sakura had been. When he expressed his amazement, Sakura had just proudly exclaimed that it was because he was a Uchiha.

Mr. Haruno had been so excited about his grandson that he immediately called his sister with the news. His sister, of course, had screamed in excitement and then quickly packed up the family. Sakura was then told that they would all arrive in a few mere hours. She sighed, not really sure if she was going to be ready for her crazy aunt, but was excited to see her cousins, who she had been writing to since they last met.

Sakura now sat, trying to rest as much as she could before the crazy storm, aka her aunt, hit. She had just awoken from a nap and was watching Kai sleep in the little crib next to her bed. The door suddenly opened and Sakura glanced over to see the girls standing there.

Hinata went over to her side quickly, in her hand a small tired snake. Sakura sat up quickly, knowing that it was Sasuke. Hinata smiled. "He wants to know if he has a son or a daughter."

Sakura blinked. "How did he know?" she asked, glancing at the girls, thinking that they might have sent word or something.

Tenten shrugged. "Your guess is as good as ours. No word was sent out. We didn't even know where they were until the snake came in."

Sakura stared at the snake, seeing it's tired form. It must have come from far and very quickly. She considered this and then quickly summoned her own slug, knowing that the snake needed to rest. The snake, seeing it was of no further use, gratefully disappeared with a puff of smoke.

Sakura looked to the slug and related all the information that she wished him to know.

xOx

Sasuke stared up at the night sky. He couldn't sleep; he was too anxious. The rest of the team, excluding a few, were now sleeping. Neji, who was on watch, Itachi and Naruto, who were unable to sleep because Sasuke was stressing them out, were all awake, sitting by the fire.

Sasuke sat a little away from the group, his mind refusing to slow down for even a moment. Her sighed, and ran his hand through his hair, taking a deep breath.

Suddenly a small slug burst from the bushes, carrying something tied around its neck, and rushed to his side. Sasuke, mildly surprised to see a slug instead of his snake, almost threw himself at the small animal. Behind him, the three men tensed, wanting to hear the news as well.

"Well?" Sasuke asked impatiently.

The slug looked at him. "My mistress would like you to know that at four sixteen in the morning she give birth to your new son. She named him Kai, and per your request, Naruto Uchiha."

Sasuke smiled, his heart feeling as it was going to burst with happiness. He let out a shaky breath, his eyes lightly brimming with tears. He wiped them away quickly, laughing a little. "I have a son."

The slug continued. "She also wishes that you know that she misses you, but is doing well. Seto and Mikoto are both doing well, waiting for your return."

Sasuke nodded, trying to wrap his mind around everything. The slug slithered closer and tried shaking the item tied to its body free. Sasuke slowly reached forward and freed the animal. It looked up at him and declared that it was now of no further use and disappeared. Sasuke took a deep breath and then looked at the item in his hand.

Unfolding the paper, he realized it was five pictures. The first was a picture of a pregnant Sakura with Seto and Mikoto at home. They were sitting on the couch, all smiling brightly. The next was a picture of Mr. Haruno holding a bundle in his arms. He was standing, completely entranced by what was in his arms, by the window in the hospital. The next one was Mrs. Haruno holding the bundle, crying hysterically. Sasuke smirked at that one, but was a little disappointed that he hadn't been able to get a good look at his son in any of the pictures.

The next one was of Sakura and the kids. She was sitting in the hospital bed with their child in her arms. Seto sat on her left, staring at the child in wonder and Mikoto was on her other side, seeming to not know what was going on. Sasuke smiled sadly, wishing he was there. With a shaky breath, he moved onto the last one.

Finally, this picture was of the baby. He was laying in his little hospital bed, all bundled up in a blue blanket. Sasuke smiled, noting his dark hair and pale skin. He stared at the picture for a long time, seeing the face of the little boy he and his wife created for the first time. He was perfect.

Sasuke laughed softly and then glanced over his shoulder to see the three men watching him. He called Naruto over. Naruto stood and walked over calmly and then sat down next to him. Sasuke smiled at him and handed him the pictures. Naruto skimmed through them quickly, laughing softly at the one of Mrs. Haruno.

He looked at Sasuke seriously, truly happy for his teammate and best friend. "He's beautiful."

Sasuke nodded and smiled. "Want to know his name?" Naruto nodded in response.

Sasuke looked away, staring at the pictures once more. "Kai Naruto Uchiha."

Naruto stilled, staring at him in disbelief. He had pestered them relentlessly but he didn't think that they would actually listen to him. He smiled brightly, tears in his eyes, and then suddenly tackled Sasuke in a hug, shouting incoherent sentences in his ear.

Sasuke laughed at little and then quickly shoved Naruto away, scolding him for being so loud. Naruto just smiled brightly, now so happy that he was bouncing. "Sorry, Teme, I just couldn't help it! I'm just so happy!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and then looked to his brother. Itachi came over and Sasuke shared the great news. Itachi smiled, seeing his brother smiling happily like an idiot. Itachi hugged him tightly, truly happy for him and then looked at the pictures.

Neji sat by the fire. Although he was curious to know, he sat still because it looked like the three of them were having a family moment. Sasuke smiled, and then looked back at Neji at the fire and then gestured for him to come over. Neji eyed him hesitantly before slowly getting up and walking over.

Sasuke smiled. "I want you three to be the first to know."

xOx

Sakura was left alone again to rest, and she gratefully took advantage of this opportunity. Unfortunately for her, she was awoken some time later by a loud, but familiar ruckus in the hallway. The noise was quiet at first and then began getting progressively louder, as if the noise was getting closer. Sakura took a deep breath and sat up, knowing what was about to burst through the door and interrupt her peace.

Sakura silently counted down the seconds. When she reached zero the door threw open and she was greeted with the flushed face of her aunt. Her aunt scanned the room quickly before her eyes landed on her niece and she practically flew across the room and pulled her into a tight hug. "OH MY SAKURA BABY!" she screamed in delight, probably waking several city blocks.

She greeted her aunt kindly in return, trying to gently free herself from her aunt's hold so she could breath. She aunt let her out of the hug only to grab her head, pushing her cheeks together gently. "Look at you, you look great! I remember I looked like a mess for days after the birth. But you look almost glowing!"

Sakura stared at her aunt with wide eyes. "Um, thank you."

Her aunt continued to gush as her uncle and cousins slide into the room with her parents. Sakura waved to her cousins, who went to her side and each gave her a hug, congratulation her. Her father was already by Kai, waiting for the right moment to proudly show off his grandson. Her aunt, having lost Sakura's attention, quickly leapt at the chance to see the baby.

She yelled in excitement and gently pulled him into her arms. Sakura watched carefully, hoping that she remembers to be gently with babies. Thankfully, though she was loud, she was gently. However, the loudness awoke Kai and he quickly started testing out his new set of lungs.. After trying fruitlessly to try and calm him, she passed him to his mother and the child quickly quieted once he was in her arms. Sakura laughed, remembering when Mikoto used to do the same thing.

Lots of pictures were taken and a lot of gushing occurred. Her aunt, sitting down at the edge of the bed, frowned as something occurred to her. "Hey, where is that fiancé of yours?"

Sakura tensed and took a deep breath, focusing on the child in her arms. "He's not here," she muttered quietly.

There was a moments pause before her aunt shot up and pulled her sleeves up to her elbow. "Where does that little punk live!? I can't believe he would break up with you right before you had his baby! I'm going to kill him and make sure he never have kids again!" she shouted and started marched towards the door before her brother stepped in the way.

"Sister, calm down. You have got it all wrong."

"Don't tell me to calm down! Why aren't you hunting down that little punk!? You're her father, it's your job to protect and defend her! I mean, you already dropped the ball for letting him into her life in the first place so how are you just going to sit here when he just ran off!?" she shouted at her brother.

Sakura blinked and clutched her mother's sleeve. Her mother pulled her daughter into a comforting embrace as the shouting continued. Finally, Mr. Haruno was able to get a word in a shush his sister. "Would you little for two seconds!? He didn't dump her! In fact, while you were done they eloped!"

His sister stopped and stared at her brother in confusion before looking at Sakura. "You're married!?"

Sakura blinked in surprise. "I thought you knew. I told Keiko and Masao when I wrote to them."

Her aunt frowned and looked at her children who smiled sheepishly for not telling her. She muttered something about 'dealing with them later' before turning and looking at Sakura and her brother. "Well, if he didn't dump you, then why isn't he here?"

Sakura looked at her child again, not having the strength to say it out loud. Her mother squeezed her shoulders in a comforting manner. Mr. Haruno sighed and looked at his sister. "He's on a mission. He was assigned a very dangerous mission awhile back and still has not returned. We only just had some contact with him earlier."

Her aunt looked at her and saw the toll it was taking on her. In a rare moment, her aunt was completely serious as she slowly went over and gave her niece a hug. "He'll be home soon," she comforted.

Sakura blinked back tears, wishing beyond hope that she was right.

xOx

Sasuke was able to get a little sleep after he had gotten the good news. When he awoke, he awoke with a new determined mindset. He was going to find Orochimaru quickly and get it over with so he could go see his wife, hold his kids and met the newest.

Thankfully, Karin awoke with a similar mindset for when he woke up, she was meditating at her sleep bag. He ignored her at first until she relaxed and opened her eyes and made an important announcement. "I'd say we are about two days worth of travel away from Orochimaru. He hasn't left the base yet so that means he still doesn't know that I fled. But if we don't hurry, he's going to figure it out and run."

The team heard it with great satisfaction and an intense determination to get to him soon. Knowing this, they packed up quickly, barely eating a breakfast and hit the road. They rushed through the travel, making excellent progress in that day. When they finally set up camp for the night, Karin announced that they should reach the base by noon tomorrow.

The team ate and then laid down to sleep, knowing they would need to rest for tomorrow. Sasuke, desperate to get some sleep, took two sleeping pills because he knew he would not be able to sleep any other way. Itachi eyed him as he did so, silently worrying though never voicing his concerns.

Sasuke awoke the next morning by Itachi. His brother nudged him from his dreamless slumber with a sweet roll in his hand and some water. "Come one, little brother, you have to eat so that we can pack up. Today's the day."

Sasuke rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, still a little groggy and sat up slowly. Sasuke didn't like sweet rolls but he said nothing and ate it, knowing he would need his strength. By the time he was done eating, he was fully awake, but was silently wishing for a nice cup of coffee. They still had some time as the others ate and packed up, so Sasuke took out his katana and started sharpening it. While he did this, he used the time to think about what he was about to do. He was unwilling to admit it but he was nervous.

Once the team was packed up, they let out again. Like Karin had said, they reached their destination by noon. They stood in their hiding spots staring at the entrance in a tense silence. Karin stood up straighter. "Sasuke and I should probably go in first. We can cause a distraction once inside and you can enter easily."

Though distrustful of her, they all silently considered this. Sasuke nodded, knowing he would have to watch all the enemy ninjas carefully as well as Karin. He dimly noted that he may be walking into a trap, but he figured he could handle himself. After quick glances at Neji, Itachi and Naruto, Sasuke took a deep breath and let Karin take his hand.

She smiled and happily bounced towards the entrance while Sasuke pretended to be slightly aggravated by her antics. They were going to need to put on a show.

xOx

Sakura pulled Kai into her arms while her parents filled out the discharge papers. Both mother and child were healthy and their stay had the hospital was drawing to a close. Her aunt and uncle were currently staying in the Uchiha District in one of the empty houses that the girls had cleaned out. Said girls were now at home, doing last minute preparations and taking car e of the kids.

Her mother entered the room and smiled at her daughter. "Are you ready?"

Sakura nodded, a pleasant smile on her face. "Yeah, I never liked being a patient at the hospital," she comment lightly.

Her mother smiled and out her arms over Sakura's shoulders, giving a small squeeze. "I don't think anyone does. How are you feeling?"

Sakura shrugged. "I'm fine." In truth, she was a little sore and it hurt to walk a little but, being a kunoichi, she has a high pain tolerance. She smiled pleasantly at her mother, ignoring the aches and pains of childbirth. It being her first child, it was harder, but she knew she was okay.

The two made their way to the lobby where they met Mr. Haruno and was berated by a nurse for not using a wheelchair, hospital policy. Sakura shrugged her off and exited the hospital in good spirits considering everything.

They walked at a slow pace, by the insistence of her parents. The walk started out calm, but then people started to notice Sakura walking, no longer pregnant and carrying a child in her arms. Word quickly spread and people came swarming into the streets to try and get a glimpse at the new Uchiha baby.

Sakura blinked in surprise and clutched her son to her chest, careful to be gently but also careful to hide him from the view of the gossiping villager. Luckily, people stayed out of their way, never blocking her path or trying to force her to show off the child. The progression through the crowd was slow, but was done with patience on Sakura's side, nervousness by her mother, and irritation by her father.

After what seemed like forever, they arrived home and were greeted by her friends and family. Her aunt, gushing over the cuteness of both Seto and Mikoto, pointed out that she was only mildly irked that she was not told about them. Sakura apologized and then greeted her children warmly, having not seen them all day.

The day past quickly, her aunt entertaining the group in a Naruto-like fashion. Her parents spent the day there and then left shortly after dinner, saying they would be back in the morning. Her aunt and uncle stayed longer, seeing as they were only just next door. Sakura had little time to really spend time talking to her cousins, but they family was staying for a week or two so there was plenty of time and Sakura didn't stress about it.

Sakura smiled happily, though feeling slightly out of place without the small being in her womb. She often found herself rubbing her empty womb, a force of habit. She was going have to get used not being the direct lifeline of her baby anymore. It felt weird to have her body to herself for the first time in months.

Sakura moved the crib into her room, wanting to have quick excess to Kai when he woke up in the night so that she wouldn't disturb the kids while she tried to tend to him. After being him comfortably settled for the night, she moved to the bathroom to change into her pajamas. She frowned, looking at her body and told herself that she was going to have to start training again as soon as she can.

Sakura went off to bed early, tired from everything. She laid down in bed, Sasuke's scent flooding her senses. Her eyes drooped right way, her eyes lingering on her sleeping child next to her. Sleep flooded her mind quickly, her last thoughts being about Sasuke and their child.

* * *

**God, i hate jumping back and forth between the two. Well, tell me what you think.**


	41. Chapter 41

**yo, whats up? I tried for a speedy update? I can't remember when the last chapter was put up but i think it was just recently so i think i accomplished my goal. Well, let's see. I go back to school tomorrow- sad face-, i put up a oneshot that i recommend people check out, and today is my brother's birthday. So yeah. Those are the big things i wanted to mention. So yeah.**

**Also on a side note, i love stargazing. My cousin, sister, brother and i was outside last night lying on the grass in my front yard, cuddled up with blankets, and just staring at the stars. I saw Mars, it was cool-looked like a regular star with a redish tint. The only way i knew it was mars was because my brother has this amazing app on his phone where it points out constellations and plants.- I'm telling you people, you have to just take the time to go out and star gaze. it makes you feel so peacful and so tiny, like there is just this incrediably huge world out there that you haven't even began to experience. It's an amzing experience.**

**Well, anyways, enjoy. oh and sorry i suck at fight scences.**

* * *

People turned to stop and stare as they walked through the lower halls. Sasuke noticed upon entry that one man had ran off in a hurry once he spotted them. Sasuke hadn't recognized the man but he figured he was going off to alert Kabuto of his presence so that Orochimaru can be alerted.

Karin smiled happily, practically bouncing as she walked. Sasuke tried to ignore her and pull his hand away from hers but she held on tight, subtlety glanced back at him. She held his fingers in a vice like grip and continued to tow him through the complicated halls as if he would get lost if she let go.

Sasuke sighed silently, mentally giving up as he tried to focus on the task at hand. He was going to kill Orochimaru without mercy and quickly so he could get home to his family. At that moment, that's all that mattered. He couldn't focus on anything else.

They turned the corner and found Kabuto leaning against the wall opposite of them casually. They paused in their walk and Kabuto pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Karin smiled smugly. "Look who I found."

Kabuto glanced at her and then at Sasuke. Sasuke kept his face carefully blank as the older man studied him. "Well, this is a surprise," Kabuto said after a long pause.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in a relaxed manner, a calm yet slightly smug look on his face that clearly said he was better than him on his face. "What can I say? I just can't stay away from our dear friend Orochimaru. How is he, by the way? It's been awhile and I have to say I long to see him and I know how much he would love to see me. You and I both know how much he loves me," Sasuke said, never passing up a chance to piss off Kabuto.

Kabuto and Sasuke always had a unique and strained relationship. Kabuto was always jealous of the attention Orochimaru gave the teen and always tried to one up or pester said teen. So in turn, Sasuke made sure to try and piss Kabuto off and mess with him. The two would often go out of their way to find a way to make each other days just a little bit worse.

Kabuto scowled darkly. "Yeah, he wants to see you," he said before straightening to leaning position and leading them down the hall towards the snake's private quarters.

Upon entering the room, Sasuke took note that only Orochimaru was in the room. He sat in a large chair at the other end of the room. He wasn't dressed, wearing his sleeping robes loosely on his body.

He was smiling at them until he noticed their linked hands. The smiled slipped from his face for only a moment but it was enough to make Sasuke aware that Karin still held his hand while he had completely forgotten himself. He mentally cursed and then eyed Karin, giving his hand a slight tug. She released his hand quickly, knowing it was no time to be messing around.

As soon as their hands dropped, Orochimaru's mood seemed to brighten. "Well, well, well, look who's back. But I guess he question is why and for how long."

Sasuke kept his face straight and calm. "I'm back for good. I tired the Konoha life and couldn't do it," he lied.

Orochimaru seemed to study him for a long moment and then he gestured towards the teen, seeming to accept the lie. Sasuke stepped forward and Orochimaru held out his hands to him. Sasuke mentally cursed and hesitantly held out his own to the snake. Said older man gripped the teens hands tightly. "Welcome home, my pet."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the nickname and Orochimaru laughed, squeezing his hands tightly. Orochimaru glanced down at their hands and paused mid-laugh. There was a long pause and then he glanced up at the teen. "A wedding band," he paused and Sasuke mentally cursed that the snake happened to see it. Orochimaru suddenly looked away from Sasuke, staring at someone behind him. "You got married while you were gone."

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder and followed his old sensei's gaze. It was focus on Karin and Sasuke realized the Orochimaru thought that they were together. Karin had on a blank face but when her eyes met his he could see hurt, betrayal and anger clearly. Sasuke looked away quickly and turned his attention to Orochimaru, much more important than Karin getting her feelings hurt by his not saying the truth.

Orochimaru still had on the same smile on his face but Sasuke could sense anger radiating off him. Orochimaru always hated how he wasn't in control of Sasuke. The snake could control everyone in the Sound nation but Sasuke. The teen always had a mind of his own, his own agenda, and his own way of doing things that usually meant he went against Orochimaru to get it done. It drove him crazy because ,of course, Sasuke was very important in his future plans but he could control him enough to make sure he made it into the future plans.

Orochimaru seemed to be waiting for answer and Sasuke slowly nodded, ignoring the pained gasped Karin let out at seeing her 'love' confirm he was married. Orochimaru didn't notice her at all and instead seemed Sasuke's hands even tighter, making the joints crack and making Sasuke aware that he might just get his fingers broken if he didn't get away. Sasuke tugged his hands away but Orochimaru held tightly. "Then congratulations are in order," he sneered.

Suddenly Orochimaru paused and his grasped loosened and Sasuke quickly pulled his hands away. Sasuke glanced down quickly, the blood rushing back to his fingers being almost painful, before he looked back at Orochimaru. The snake had a strange sparkle in his eyes and smiled victorious in such a way that made Sasuke uneasy. "When should I expect little Uchiha children running around here calling me Grandpa Orochimaru?"

Sasuke visually grimaced. "That's not likely to happen."

Orochimaru smirked in amusement. "Oh, and why is that, my pet?"

"I don't plan to have children," he said quickly. "It turns out I'm not good at parenting," he added as an afterthought.

Orochimaru waved his hand dismissively. "You are great with kids. And how do you hope to restore your clan?"

Sasuke paused, considering his words carefully. "The way I see it," he said, pausing. "My brother has already produced an heir. There really is no reason for me to reproduce anymore when there already is a heir to the next generation. Now Seto can repopulate the Uchiha Clan and I can go about my days without worrying about it."

Orochimaru frowned, not liking his answer, but smiled after a moment, choosing to ignore it for the moment. "Speaking of the child, where is my dear little Seto?"

Sasuke tensed, but hoped that Orochimaru wouldn't notice. "He's in Konoha."

Orochimaru frowned. "Why didn't you bring him with you? Why would you leave him there?"

Sasuke's eyes hardened. "I couldn't take care of him and he is being taken care of there. He was born with a whore for a mother, a bastard for a father, and a traitor for an uncle, none of whom are equipped to take care of him. The kid deserved a break for being born into such a dysfunctional family."

Orochimaru frown deepened. "You and your wife could care for him with the assistance of me and Kabuto. We will raid Konoha and get the boy back."

Sasuke was still for a long moment before he smirked. "Yes, we could do that," he said, pausing to glance at Karin quickly before turning back to Orochimaru with an evil glint in his eyes. "Or I could just kill you."

There was a moments pause before Karin lunged at Kabuto, weapon raised. He reacted defensively, jumping back while Karin redirected her attack and tried to hit him again. Sasuke reached for his katana and Orochimaru sprang to his feet, trying to get distance between them. Sasuke swung his sword down and crushed the chair, having just missed Orochimaru.

Sasuke glanced to his left, seeing Orochimaru standing there unharmed and glaring at him harshly. Sasuke blinked and quickly preformed a series of hand seals. In a moment, he turned an let out a large puff of fire into the ceiling. The fire shot right though to the outside where the team was waiting. After seeing the signal, the team sprang into action and charged the base, taking out everyone that got in their way.

Orochimaru suddenly charged him, a kunai in his hand. From this moment, an intricate dance followed as the two struggled to block each others blows while trying to land their own hits. Karin looked over from her own fight and was barely able to make out their moves as they were moving so quickly. But in the moment that she looked away, Kabuto was able to land a powerful blow and she was sent flying. She crashed through the door and barely had enough time to stand back up when Kabuto was attacking her again.

She dodged the best she could, and spotting an opening, ran past him and down the hall. She could hear him following her and she sprinted faster. Turning a corner harshly, she almost ran over Kiba. "Where's the fire!?" he shouted only to collide with Kabuto.

Karin blinked. "Meet the fire," she muttered as he took over the fight. She considered staying and helping him for a moment, but decided against it. "You handle him. I'm going to go and help Sasuke with Orochimaru!" she shouted before dashing away.

Orochimaru hooked his arm around Sasuke's torso and, catching the teen off guard, lifted him off his feet and threw him over his head. Sasuke landed in a graceless heap on the floor and held out his katana just as Orochimaru brought his kunai down on him. The metal clashed and Orochimaru used his free hand to smack Sasuke's arm. Sasuke cursed as the blades slipped and the kunai came down towards his stomach. Without have time to try and block it or get out of the way, Sasuke braced himself for the pain.

As the blade made contact with his clothes, Karin charged the snake and knocked him away. As a result, Sasuke's shirt was now ripped but his stomach was only slightly nicked, it not even bleeding. Sasuke breathed a silent breath of relief and quickly got to his feet. Karin was now trying to land another hit on the snake and said man was getting increasingly annoyed with her.

Sasuke charged towards them, his sword at the ready. Orochimaru saw this out of the corner of his eye and let out a curse. Karin swung a kicked and the snake ducked. Turning on his heels, he shot up from underneath Sasuke and elbow him in the gut and hit his hand, making the katana fly out of his hand. Then pivoting, he used his momentum to power a strong kick into Karin's gut. The force of the blow sent the girl flying where she crashed into a wall, smacking her head and being rendered unconscious.

While his back was turned, Sasuke grabbed a kunai and dug it into the man's shoulder. He cursed out loud and turned, snakes shooting out from his sleeves and attacking Sasuke. Sasuke leapt back to avoid getting hit and quickly did a series of hand seals to burn the snakes to a fiery crisp. He landed several feet back from the snake. While Orochimaru was pulling out the kunai, Sasuke glanced around for his sword. He cursed when he saw that it had somehow gotten embedded in the wall by the hilt, the blade sticking out at an angle.

Orochimaru scolded at him and threw the kunai to the ground angrily. "That wasn't nice," he muttered to Sasuke.

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm not a nice person." There was a pause and then they lunched themselves at each other, starting another intricate dance of hand-to-hand combat.

xOx

Sakura was very thankful that she had gotten some practice at taking care of a baby when Mikoto was first brought into their lives. She knew how to take care of little Kai and hardly struggled at all for this part. Except, she hadn't learnt to take care of a newborn while she had two other kids demanding her attention.

Since Sakura had been at the hospital for the most part of the two days, both Seto and Mikoto had missed her. First their father was MIA and then their mother was admitted to the hospital. And while they understood that she was okay now, Seto more than Mikoto obviously, they still were constantly demanding her attention now that she was back.

The girls helped out as much as they could, but it was still hard on Sakura who was still a little sore. Some things could only be done by her, like breast feeding, which was almost impossible since Seto and Mikoto were constantly tugging on her arms.

"Mamma! Look I learned a new dance!" Seto exclaimed while he started an odd jig.

Sakura laughed while she held Kai in her arms and let Mikoto play in the playpen in the room, having just gotten the little girl distracted. "That's great, sweetie," she laughed.

Sakura stood and went over to Mikoto and gripped her hand, leading her to the kitchen. Seto automatically followed even before Sakura told him that they were moving into the kitchen. He sat himself at the kitchen table and Sakura sat Mikoto down at the table. She moved over towards the counter, listening as Seto rambled on about a dream he had.

However, when Sakura turned her back, Mikoto reached for a cup that was sitting on the table and threw it across the room, demanding her mother's attention. "MA!!" she shrieked loudly.

"No, Mikoto, no throwing the cup." Sakura scolded lightly, pointing to said item on the floor. She walked over to the baby carrier and placed Kai down. Once she was satisfied that he was okay, she moved over to pick up the cup. She brought it over to Mikoto, making sure to show her the item. "No throwing the cup," she said, trying to teach her.

Mikoto laughed, loving the attention. Sakura sighed and set the cup back down, out of her reach, and turned to start on lunch. Sakura glanced at the clock, a little past noon she noted. She sighed again, trying to shake this odd feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had been anxious all day and something akin to dread had settled strongly in her stomach. She didn't know why, for everything was pretty normal right now, but she just felt bad.

Ino walked into the kitchen calmly, her hair newly done after the shower she had just taken. Hinata was visiting family at the Hyuga Household and Tenten was out grocery shopping. Upon Sakura turning her back from Mikoto, said little girl began to scream loudly. Ino rushed to her side and pulled her into her arms but the little girl would not quiet down.

Sakura frowned, having dealt with this for the last few hours. "Just leave her. She'll quiet down in a little bit," she muttered in a tried voice. She turned and rested her head on the counter, bending over and folding her arms to cushion her head.

Ino put Mikoto down and walked over to Sakura, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"No," Sakura muttered, it coming out muffled by her arms.

Ino gently rubbed her back. "It's okay, I've read about this. Postpartum depression is completely normal."

Sakura lifted her head and glowered darkly at her blonde friend. "Don't you dare," she said in calm tone but with a dark edge to it-very similar to how Sasuke would say things when he was mad, Ino noted- "I am not depressed. I am tired and anxious. I have this really bad feeling in the pit of stomach and I can't seem to shake it."

Ino eyed her strangely. "A bad feeling?"

Sakura nodded, sighing again. "I just feel like something bad is going to happen today," Sakura explained lightly, rubbing her temples.

With Mikoto still screaming, Seto singing loudly at the top of his lungs a song filled with rambling, and the strange feeling, it started to overwhelm Sakura. She took a deep breath, feeling a lump form in her throat. Ino eyed her, trying to think of a way to comfort her.

A wave of tears suddenly hit Sakura, alarming Ino greatly. Sakura's legs wobbled and she sank to the floor, Seto seeing this and finally stopped singing and even Mikoto stopped screaming. Ino pulled Sakura into a hug, both of them huddled on the floor while Sakura gripped Ino like a life-line. Ino whispered comforting words to her friend but she ignored them.

"What if something bad happens to him!? What if he doesn't come back or they do bring him back, but in a body bag!?" Sakura exclaimed and Ino gripped her tighter. Sakura choked on a sob. "I can't do this without him!"

Ino shushed her friend. "You can't even think something like that. He is coming back and then you twp are going to have a good proper wedding and raise your kids happily. You are going to have many kids together, naming one of them Ino, and you are going to live happily ever after."

Sakura laughed once and then was silent for a long moment, slowly calming down. There was a long pause and then Sakura wiped away her tears. "We aren't naming our kid after you," she said lightly and Ino huffed.

"Oh, yes you are! Naruto got one so I deserve one too! I'm your best friend! We have known we other for way longer than you have known Naruto! You know, I'm kind of insulted that you named your kid after him and not me."

Sakura laughed, finally pulling out of Ino arms. "Naruto is a god name for a boy. We had a boy so I named him Naruto. If we have a girl, I'll consider naming her after you."

Ino narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously. "You promise?"

Sakura nodded and stuck out her pinky. "Pinky promise."

Ino's eyes widened. "Wow, pulling out the big guns. You know that nothing can break a pinky promise, it's the strongest promise you can make," she warned.

Sakura nodded, her pinky outstretched. Ino linked hers carefully and they shook on it. Sakura smiled and hugged Ino lightly. "Thanks, I really needed that."

Ino nodded. "No problem. That's what friends are for."

It was at this time that Tenten walked in, arms full of groceries. She eyed the room, Seto and Mikoto sitting at the table very calmly and the picture of ease, Kai sleeping in the carrier, and Ino and Sakura sitting on the ground hugging. She raised an eyebrow. "What did I miss?"

Sakura laughed and stood up again, ignoring the uneasy feeling that was still in her stomach.

xOx

Quickly becoming exhausted, the two continued to clash. They were both covered in many cuts and bruises, sweat coating their skin in a thick layer. The force of Orochimaru's blow sent Sasuke flying across the room. Sasuke focused chakra into his feet so that he landed gracefully on the wall, his chakra holding him in place. Once there, he focused chakra into his left hand, the Chidori forming and illuminating the room.

Orochimaru stood completely still, his face serious as he stared at his former pupil. Sasuke briefly wondered why he wasn't attacking, but decided that he didn't care. Using the wall as a springboard, Sasuke lunged across the room towards the snake in his last ditch effort to kill the man.

Orochimaru smirked at him and remained still, making Sasuke uneasy. The snake waited until the last moment, so that Sasuke couldn't redirect this attack, to dodge and Sasuke sailed right past him. However, just as he was about to fly right past, the snake gripped Sasuke's other wrist.

Sasuke realized then, as Orochimaru grab a sharp tug that jerked Sasuke's body helplessly in the other direct, that the snake intended to throw him. Sasuke cursed, feeling his body giving in from chakra exhaustion. As Sasuke's body swung around, Orochimaru released his wrist. However, right as he released it, Sasuke gripped his quickly and twisted his body to pivot around.

The snake gasped, knocked off balance by Sasuke's move as Sasuke was able to get a hold of the man from behind. The teen wrapped his legs around the man's waist and locked his arms in place. And, acting on instinct and without thought, he took advantage of the fact that the snake was off balance and leaned back so that he would take them both down. Sasuke, a moment before he fell, glanced behind him to get an idea what his fall would be like. It was at this moment that his blood ran cold.

Directly behind then was the back wall. They were at such a distance from said wall that they would most definitely hit it. But lodged in the wall was his katana from earlier in the battle, resting at such an angle as to cause some serious damage to their bodies coming straight towards it. Sasuke wracked his brain to try and find a way to get out of it but he knew it was already too late. In a moment, no matter what he tried to do, he would feel the blade pierce his skin.

He was briefly aware of a few things as he fell. One, his closest teammates, the ones who managed to make it into the same area under his fight with the snake, saw his appending doom but were too tied up with their own opponents to come and try to assist him, though it was already to late for anything. Two, the snake was struggling in his grip so he had to grip in tighter so that he wouldn't get away and avoid sharing the same fate as him. And three, it was slightly ironic that he may never get up from this one when it is his own sword, the one he had hours before been sharpening absentmindedly, that would do him in for good.

Finally, he felt the searing pain as the blade hit his lower back and sink in. He heard the sickening sound his the blade sliding through his body. Suddenly, the pain wasn't just in his lower back but also in his abdomen, right underneath his ribcage, as the blade shot right through him. A moment later, Orochimaru gasped as the blade sank into him as well.

The two of them remained completely still for a long moment. Sasuke, his senses completely alert and heightened by the pain, glanced around. Naruto, glanced over from his own battle and saw their collapsed forms. He blinked in confusion and worry and called out his name, drawing Itachi's attention to them as well. Sasuke just looked away, noticing that the blade hadn't exited Orochimaru and that the snake was just in shock.

Sasuke, with sudden strength, gripped the snake tighter against him. The man resounded by gasping as more of the blade slid into him. Sasuke leaned his head against the wall, becoming aware that there was more blade behind him. Without thinking, Sasuke took a deep breath and pushed himself farther down the blade until the hilt was jabbing into his back and he couldn't move any farther.

Orochimaru let out a strangled, intense scream of pain, drawing the attention of everyone present in the room. They all looked over as Sasuke pulled Orochimaru's body closer to his and making the blade slide deeper through his body. Suddenly the scream cut off as the blade exited his body, coming straight through his heart.

Everything was still as Orochimaru's once tense body suddenly went limp in Sasuke's arms.

There was a long moment before Sasuke realized what this meant. He had killed the snake, drove his sword right through his heart. Sasuke smiled happily, suddenly feeling light-heart and as light as a feather. His eyes drooped on their own accord and he could hear some sort of liquid dripped onto the floor underneath him. He could feel a warm liquid sliding down his back and abdomen and he assumed that was the liquid dripping into the floor.

'_I'm going to die, aren't I__' _was the first thought that entered his mind in a haze after realizing the warm liquid was blood. He clenched his eyes closed for a long moment, wondering if he was ready to die. He had killed the snake, effectively protecting his family from any future danger from said man. He didn't get to meet his son, which he regretted, but he figured he at least got to know that he was born safely and Sakura was healthy as well. And he had made a lot of arrangements in case he did die, so he didn't have to worry about how his family would handle everything without him.

In some ways, he was ready while in others he wasn't. He briefly considered how no one can be truly ready to die. One may accept the fact that they are dying but there will always be just one fiber in their body that will not want to die and leave the world and all their loved ones alone. He reopened his eyes, his vision burry, and he knew that if he was to die now he would be willing to accept it.

After all the pain and suffering he endured in his life, maybe he was only meant to produce one heir of his own and protect the Uchiha blood from falling into Orochimaru's hands. Maybe Sakura was the one that was meant to led the Uchiha Clan and he was just a means of making sure she got to her rightful place. Maybe the bigger picture wasn't about him and Sakura at all, but about making sure that the new Uchiha Clan were different from the last. Maybe he, the last of the old Uchiha Clan, was meant to leave now so that the new, good Uchiha Clan wouldn't be tainted by his evil, greedy ways.

It was fated, Sasuke concluded in a haze, for Itachi to destroy the clan and leave him alive. The former Uchiha Clan were greedy and power hungry. When Itachi killed them, he saved Konoha and successfully eliminated the tainted Uchiha Clan. Only, by leaving him alive, he made sure that the Uchiha Clan could be restore and relived into the way they were supposed to be. Sakura, the new Uchiha matriarch and a person with no mean bone in her body, would lead and form a new Uchiha Clan that would be like the former was supposed to be. The only missing piece was Sasuke, a Uchiha tainted by the former ways of the clan, and he would die here after protecting the new Uchiha blood.

Sasuke smiled weakly, feeling like he did his part.

* * *

**Done. Fight scence sucks and it was my first one. Sorry.**

**Review please?**


	42. Chapter 42

**Well, hello my fine friends. How are you this Sunday afternoon. I'm pretty tired. My Mom's birthday was this week but we had the party yesterday and i didn't get to bed until like three. Plus i have caught another cold and it always takes a lot out of me. So yeah.**

**But on a side note, guess what? I got into the college program! Yup, i'm cool. lol. **

**Well i'm not going to ramble. Thank you to all that reviewed. Please enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

It was a long moment before anyone made it to his side. Through blurred vision, Sasuke saw a blue face and he assumed it was Kisame. He felt someone gently grab his shoulder and try to inspect him. Sasuke tried to clear his vision but failed.

"Itachi! The sword is going straight through him and it's lodged in the wall! There is so much blood!"

Sasuke coughed, and Kisame grabbed his body firmly to prevent it from being jostled and cause any more internal damage. Sasuke coughed again, and blood came leaking out of his throat. Sasuke tried to take a deep breath but he couldn't and instead coughed up more blood. Kisame cursed loudly as he noticed that the teen was choking. "Kiba! Get me a tube! Quickly! He's having trouble breathing!"

Kiba rushed to his side with a tube he found on one of the medical tray he found in a supply closet near by earlier. Kisame quickly took it and told Kiba to hold him to make sure he didn't move. Kiba did as he was told and Kisame tilted the teen's head back, positioning the tube in where he thought would be the right place. "Have you ever done this before?" Kiba asked, panicking.

Kisame didn't bother looking at him, focusing intently on the task at hand. "No, but I've seen it done before." he said before jamming the tube down the teen's throat.

Kiba eyed him. "Do you think that will help?"

Kisame shrugged. "I don't know; I'm no doctor. But I can't just let him suffocate, I have to try to do something. Go get one of those Ambu bags, we are going to have to hand pump air to him."

Kiba looked at him in confusion. "A what?"

Kisame cursed and glared at him. "An Ambu bag. It's plastic and kind of circle-ish, attached the end of the tube, and went you press it air comes out." Kiba nodded and ran off.

While he was gone, the older man worked to try and save the teen, though he had no clue what he was doing. He considered calling for Karin but remembered she was in bad shape too and could do little to help. Kiba came back quickly and they attached the bag to the end of the tube. "Kiba, I want you to press this at a steady beat, you are giving him his air." Kiba nodded nervously and slowly started feeding Sasuke his air supply.

Itachi suddenly joined them at his side, seeing Orochimaru's lifeless body still being held tightly by his little brother, through the boy couldn't even breath by himself. Itachi got down and eyed the entry wound. He shook his head. "We can't pull out the sword or else he will bleed to death. We have to somehow dislodge the sword from the wall without moving the blade and get him some medical attention."

"We have to get rid of the dead weight first." Kisame said as Shikamaru and Naruto joined them. Naruto let out a yell of horror and concern and went to reach for Sasuke but Itachi and Kisame both held out their arms to block him and Shikamaru grabbed the blonde before he could touch the teen. The blonde struggled in Shikamaru's arms, fighting and screaming in protest.

"Naruto! Stop you have to calm down! You can't touch him unless you are going to be gentle enough not to touch the blade or jostle his body. If we do, then we risk the chance of hurting him more then he already is."

Naruto's struggles slowly died down, tears streaming down his face.

Itachi looked at the blonde. "Naruto, we are going to need as many hands as we can get. If you can handle yourself, we need your help. But if you can't then you shouldn't be here. Can you handle this?"

Naruto nodded slowly, seeming completely broken. Itachi nodded once. "Good. There is still a chance. Now we need to pull Orochimaru off without moving the blade," he said to Naruto before he turned and started barking orders. "Kiba, continue pumping his air. Shikamaru, I want you to make sure you hold the blade, the front and the back, while we pull on the snake. Naruto, you have to make sure that Sasuke's body doesn't move. Kisame, help me lift the dead weight."

Everyone nodded and took up their positions. Kiba tried to stay out of the way for the most part while he did his job, Shikamaru sat on one side of Sasuke and gripped the blade while Naruto sat on the other side and gripped Sasuke's body. Itachi and Kisame slowly tried to pulled Sasuke's limbs from the dead body but Sasuke's body was locked in place. They cursed and slowly pried his limbs away.

Once that was done, they positioned themselves and gave the team a count. "One, two, . . Three!" they shouted and started pulled. Orochimaru's body started to slide but Shikamaru and Naruto shouted in protest because, even through they were holding the two in place, the blade still started moving slightly and Sasuke's body began to move with it. They halted their motions as the two tried to get better holds before they tried again.

The second attempt they were successful on getting Orochimaru off, but the blade still quivered and Sasuke's body quivered with it. In response, Sasuke's eyes shot open and a muffled, choked gasped escaped his mouth, though the tube blocked his throat. Tears fell from Sasuke's eyes as they slowly closed, much to Naruto's panic.

The quickly pulled Naruto away just as he was about to dive onto Sasuke and Kisame checked Sasuke's pulse. "We have to hurry." he concluded after a moment and then began examining the end of the blade in the wall. Neji and Lee finally joined them, all the enemies now taken care of and Karin, still out cold, was placed on the ground nearby where they tried to help.

Neji eyed the wall too. "I think our best bet is to try and chip away at the wall gently. We have little room to work but we can't just pull it out." They nodded in agreement and quickly got to work, ripping away at the wall. It didn't take long to dislodge the katana.

"What's the nearest town or village?" Naruto shouted.

"Suna." Shikamaru stated.

"That's great! Lee, go ahead and tell Gaara that we are coming and we are in dire need of medical attention! Go and we will be right behind you!" the blonde shouted and Lee nodded, quickly disappearing.

Itachi nodded, finally finding Naruto useful. "We need to move him carefully."

Kisame and Itachi grabbed a hold on Sasuke's body and Naruto grabbed the blade, while Kiba continued to pump air. Slowly and carefully, they lifted him and began moving him towards the exit. Neji grabbed Karin and Shikamaru grabbed Orochimaru's lifeless body, muttering a troublesome.

They moved as quickly as they could and when they made it to the boarder, there was a team of ANBU and medics waiting. Without looking at the two criminals with the team, they quickly took over and took both Sasuke and Karin to the hospital quickly and then the remainder present escorted the rest there.

Gaara was waiting at the hospital for the team. He informed them right way that Sasuke was already whisked off to surgery and they were going to do their best. The rest of the team was then treated for their own wounds and Orochimaru's body was taken to be cremated, making sure there was no chance for him to come back.

Hours later, the team found themselves in the waiting room, accompanied by the Sand siblings while they awaited news on Sasuke. Karin, now awake and being treated for a head injury, was going well. Gaara eyed the two criminals but said nothing, silently deciding to give them a pass just this once.

Naruto rested his head in his hands, bent over with his head between his legs. Every once and while, they would hear a quiet curse or a mumble of some sort but no one could make out what he was saying. Itachi seemed to be handling it easier, but on the inside he was all but falling apart. He didn't know what he would do if he lost his little brother.

The door opened silently and an exhausted doctor walked out. Naruto, Kiba and Lee all shot up upon his entering and anxiously eyed him. The doctor rubbed his eyes and pulled off his scrub cap. "You're here for Sasuke Uchiha, right?"

Everyone nodded wordlessly, even Naruto who was too worried to speak. The doctor nodded. "His injuries were extensive. The blade punctured his large intestine, stomach and his lung, narrowly missing his heart. He flat lined twice during the surgery but we were able to bring him back both times. Luckily, it seemed that the weapon didn't move around too much and cause any further damage, which I suspect was your doing. We were able to get control of the bleeding and repair the damage caused by the weapon. Because you were able to keep the blade from any more damage and made sure that he could breath, you may have just saved his life."

"So he's okay? He's going to live?" Naruto asked impatiently.

The doctor looked at him seriously. "We did all we can, but it's still kind of up in the air. If he can survive the night without any further complications than I have no doubt that he will pull through."

Naruto stopped, and Kiba stepped in front of him and thanked the doctor. The doctor left soon after and Naruto slowly sat down, muttering something about not feeling good.

The next few hours passed slowly. The Sand sibling were filled in on all the details they might have missed, including the birth of the new Uchiha and new Uchiha by marriage. They were shocked to say the least, but quickly tried to make the team as comfortable as possible during their visit there. Luckily, only Sasuke and Karin required overnight hospitalization and Gaara arranged for the team to have comfortable lodgings not far from the hospital or the Kazekage Tower. Although they practically had to kick them out of the hospital, they were finally settled down to sleep by midnight, though they all got little.

Gaara also took the time to send an immediate message to Konoha, alerting Tsunade of the situation.

xOx

Tsunade sighed and stretched in her chair, throwing down her pen. She had finally finished all the paperwork that had piled up on her desk and she was feeling pretty good. She glanced at the clock, seeing that it was half past twelve, a good time to get out of the office. She stood, stretching her legs.

Suddenly the door burst open and Shizune stood there, panting and barely able to breath. Tsunade rushed to her side, calling out her name in concern. But Shizune ignored the inquiries of her health as she pushed a scroll into the woman's hands. "Word from Suna, marked extremely urgent!" Shizune finally choked out, pausing between each word to take a deep breath.

Tsunade's eyebrow's furrowed as she quickly opened it and rushed back to her desk where the lamp, only light source in the room, was. She mentally cursed how she was so close to getting out of the office at a reasonable time. She read the first part before letting out a triumphant yell, alarming Shizune. Shizune called to her uncertainly.

Tsunade smiled. "Great news! The team has made it to Suna and have successfully killed Orochimaru!" she exclaimed loudly.

Shizune smiled. "Oh, Sakura will be so happy that they should be coming home soon!"

Tsunade nodded, letting out a laugh as she glanced back down to the scroll. She refocused on it, slowly sinking back into her chair as she read each word, her mood shifting greatly. Shizune, unaware of the shift, continued on. "Should I go inform Sakura now?"

Tsunade shook her head gravely. "No, not until we get more news. Something bad has happened and I don't want to tell her until I have more information,"

Shizune eyed her, suddenly not so happy either. "Something bad?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, Sasuke is in critical condition and may not survive the night."

Shizune sank into the chair opposite of the desk, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. "Oh, no." she muttered, unable to form a sentence to express how she was feeling.

Tsunade rested her head in her hand, suddenly having more to worry about than getting out of the office at a reasonable time.

xOx

The team were up before dawn and were the first visitors to the hospital. They checked on Karin quickly, whom was being discarded that day, before going to Sasuke's room. The doctor met them, having stayed the night to monitor him, and informed them at he was going good. There was no further complications but he still would not promise a recovery.

The boys stretched out in the room, some sitting on the floor because they ran out of chairs. Sasuke lie in bed, completely still except the gentle rise and fall of his chest. He had a tube down his throat because he wasn't breathing on his own yet and was hooked up to a machine the was breathing for him. The team silently hung around the room, listening to the continuous beeps of the machines he was hooked up to. A good few hours were spent this way, hardly a word spoken, and Karin joined them after being discharged. The doctor came in frequently but really had nothing new to say so they eventually stopped asking.

Around dinning time, the group began considering whether or not they wanted to go down to the cafeteria for food. They hadn't eaten anything all day but they didn't really want the leave the room. They were in the middle of discussing it when Sasuke suddenly began to choke. Lee shot up and rushed out the door to find the doctor while the rest tried helplessly to help the teen.

The doctor rushed in quickly and went to his side. "Oh, he's choking. That's a good thing."

Naruto glared at him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean!? How dare you, you arrogant punk, you don't even know him!"

The doctor just glanced up at him as he stood by one of the machines, pressing buttons. He pressed a button and a beep sounded before Sasuke began to quiet down. The team let out a collective sigh of relief.

The doctor didn't look up at Naruto while he spoke. "It's true, I don't know Mr. Uchiha but I'm sure he is a fine man. When I said it was a good thing, I meant that he was fighting the tube. It means that he is now breathing on his own now and doesn't require the machine to continuously pump his air to him. It's a good sign and I'm very optimistic that he will recover very soon." he explained in a calm voice as he tilted Sasuke head back and began to remove the tube.

Naruto blinked before muttering an 'oh' and sitting back down in the chair next to the bed. He clutched Sasuke's hand for a moment before letting go and leaning back in his chair.

The doctor excused himself and the sand siblings entered the room right after him. Temari blinked and then sighed. "Look, I know you are worried, but if you don't leave now and start taking care of yourself then you are just going to end up in a hospital bed next to him." No one moved or muttered a word. There was a beat of silence before she sighed and then preceded to kick all the team out of the room. After a large spectacle, she finally got them all down to the hospital cafeteria.

The rest of the day progressed easily. After kicking the team out of the hospital after visiting hours ended, the doctor made his last rounds of the night. He checked Sasuke's conditions and scribbled onto the clipboard.

Sasuke coughed and his eyes slowly opened, fighting a strange haze that was over him. He groaned, having trouble trying to sit up. The doctor jumped up and gently pushed him down. "Wait! Don't move! You just had some major surgery!"

Sasuke groaned again and weakly tried to swat the doctor away. He blinked his eyes several times, still trying to fight the haze. He mentally cursed, knowing he was under the influence of some drugs and that was the reason he couldn't seem to wake up fully. "Sakura." he whispered harshly.

The doctor silently used the detrainment straps attached to the bed to hold Sasuke in place. "Please stop moving. Your friends just left for the night. You are in Suna's hospital. You suffered some major injuries and you can't be moving just yet. Please rest." the doctor pleaded but Sasuke wouldn't listen.

He continued to struggle helplessly. "Sakura." he repeated in a weak whisper.

The doctor sighed and pulled out a syringe. "There are no cherry blossoms here." he said before injecting Sasuke with another dose of medication. Sasuke's struggles stilled and his eyes drooped even more. The doctor sighed in relief as Sasuke drifted back to sleep.

xOx

Sakura smiled, making cooing noises to the young child in her arms. He was comfortably sleeping in her arms while she walked down the crowded village streets. Though she knew it was safer to keep him at home for awhile, no one was home to watch him and she needed to run an errand. Ino was currently at her parent's flower shop, Tenten was assigned a small mission, Hinata had Mikoto at the Hyuga Compound and Seto was a daycare.

People kept a respectable distance from her, but tried fruitlessly to catch a glance at the Uchiha baby. If they happened to catch a glance, they got a full head of raven hair like his father. With the little information they had, people were already saying that it looked just like Sasuke. They didn't even know if the child was a boy or girl yet, seeing as Sakura had him tucked comfortably in a yellow blanket- gender neutral.

She took the stairs to the Hogake Tower slowly and finally reached the top after several minutes. She scrolled at a leisurely pace to Tsunade's office, seeing the door slightly ajar. She knocked gently and the door flew open quickly. Sakura blinked in surprise and clutched Kai closer to her chest defensively.

Tsunade blinked and then exclaimed her name loudly and with false excitement. Sakura blinked, hearing shuffling noises from inside the office but Tsunade blocked her view inside the room. She raised an eyebrow and tried to peer around her and Tsunade moved to block her view. "Am I interrupting something?"

Tsunade shrugged and glanced over her shoulder. There was some more shuffling and then a sound of something slamming closed and then Tsunade smiled and moved out of the way. Sakura eyed her suspiciously and moved into the office with caution. Shizune was standing in the room, a fake smile plastered onto her face, but she was slightly short of breath.

Sakura turned and looked at Tsunade seriously. "What's going on?"

Tsunade put on her best innocent act. "I don't know what you are talking about. Nothing out of the ordinary happening here."

Sakura glared at her, using her Uchiha glare. "Cut the bullsh-" she cut off suddenly and glanced down at the sleeping child in her arms. "Crap. Cut the crap." she censored.

Shizune took this moment to try and distract Sakura. She rushed up and started cooing over Kai. And it worked for a moment, Sakura smiled and turned her attention to Shizune momentarily until she passed the child over to Shizune. Once her hands were free, she turned and glared at her sensei. "What is going on? I know you wouldn't hide something from me unless it involved me somehow. So what is it? Is it Sasuke?'

Tsunade blinked, cursing Sasuke for letting so much of him rub off on her. She mentally grimaced at Sakura's Uchiha glare and opened her mouth to retort when the door flew open again. And ANBU rushed in and gave a bow and then handed over a large envelop. "Word from Suna. It's marked as urgent."

Tsunade, ignoring Sakura altogether now, quickly opened it. She pulled out a letter first and glanced inside to see some sort of medical folder also inside the envelop. She placed down the envelop and focused on the letter. She read it quickly and then sighed in relief before calling Shizune over. With child still in her arms, she rushed over and read over the contents. She sighed as well while Tsunade glanced over the medical folder.

Sakura stepped forward and tried to peer over but Tsunade blocked her view. Sakura scowled and Tsunade gestured for her to sit down. Sakura did as she was told and waited patiently for whatever she was about to hear.

"I recently got word from Suna that the team had arrived in Suna after successfully killing Orochimaru." she started.

There was a pause and Sakura didn't react, though Tsunade was waiting for her to. Sakura finally blinked, her face emotionless. "Okay, how bad is it? I know you would be going through all of this if one of them weren't hurt badly. So how bad is it? Is it Sasuke? Is he dead?" she asked calmly, though the older woman could see fear and sadness in her eyes.

Tsunade glanced at Shizune before sighing. "Sasuke was wounded critically and the doctors were unsure about whether or not he would survive." she said calmly.

Sakura inhaled deeply and stared at the floor, her eyes tearing up slightly. She let out a shaky breath and clutched her hands into fists.

Tsunade continued. "I just got news that he has stabilized and has woken up and is breathing on his own after a day of the machines breathing for him. Gaara included the medical charts for me to review. He's going to recover."

Sakura looked up at her sensei with glassy eyes. She blinked and Tsunade handed over the medical folder. Sakura quickly took it and read it over, gasping and covering her mouth. "The blade went straight through." she muttered, reading it over. She continued to review the charts. "He's improved greatly."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. The doctors over there, as well as I, are optimistic. He's going to be fine, but have a nasty scar."

Sakura nodded mutely, still reading the papers carefully. Tears leaked from her eyes and rolled down her face. "The doctor noted that he was calling for cherry blossoms, though no cherry blossoms were pleasant," she looked up at her teacher in a heart broken manner. "He was calling for me! I wants me by his side!"

Sakura stood up suddenly. "I have to go to him! I have to go to Suna!" she exclaimed and made a move for the door but Tsunade was quicker.

"Oh, no you don't! You can't just leave. You just had a baby and you are on maternity leave. That is not just from the hospital but also from all missions and travel. You have to consider that you can't leave your baby and you can't take him with you! Sasuke is fine and will be coming home as soon as he recovers!" Tsunade shouted, standing in front of the door while gripping Sakura's shoulders.

Sakura whimpered, but did not protest because she knew her sensei was right. Although she wanted to see Sasuke and take care of him herself, she had to stay for her children, no matter how hard it was for her. Sakura leaned her head on Tsunade's shoulder and gripped her tightly and the older woman responded by hugging her tightly as her student cried.

"It's so hard without him. I just need him to be by my side." Sakura muttered, it coming out muffled by her teacher's shoulder.

Tsunade closed her eyes tightly, silently cursing Sasuke for hurting Sakura once again. "I know, but he's going to be coming back soon. It won't be long now."

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**Done. So, now i will start on the next chapter. Tell me what you think.**


	43. Chapter 43

**Hello, my friends. It's been awhile. Sorry. Been busy with the college thing an last minute cramming in school. I have, like, 22 days left of school and the teachers are starting to cram stuff on us, trying to teach us as much as possible now. Plus, writer's block is a bitch. _IMPORTANT ! READ! _And in order to try to remedy this, i tried to start editing the story. Yeah, i rewrote the first and second chapter, changing a few things. I combined the original second and third chapter into the new, edited second chapter, which will explain why this chapter is chapter 44 instead of chapter 45. These new changes have put the story in an awkward place where some of it doesn't exactly match up. For example, i changed it so that Sakura is living with her parents at the beginning instead of alone in an apartment. So older chapters will say apartment while the newer ones will say house. Sorry, but i'm in the middle of editing. As i rewite crap, these little differences will go away and it will all make sense again. However, until then, if you go back and reread something, look at the beginning of the author note. The new ones will say EDIT while the older one's will just be my ramblings. Check the first word of the chapter when reading to avoid confusion.**

**Also, i would recommend rereading the first two chapters. They're new and improved and i worked hard on them. Plus, i would love it if someone would point out any mistakes i missed when editing.**

**Thank you to all that reviewed. Please enjoy.**

* * *

Days passed slowly but Sasuke had now spent a full week in the hospital. He was barely conscious for most of it because the doctors discovered that he would use every moment that he was lucid to try and get up and escape. The doctors kept him a steady amount of medication to keep him drowsy but not enough to get him hooked.

Tsunade was getting regular updates on his condition, per her request, and has been satisfied that he was healing nicely. And when she got the good news, she would always share it with Sakura, who was in desperate need of good news.

The team has spent a lot of time at the hospital but has been getting kicked out more regularly and forced to relax more. They had been spending most of their time in the comfortable lodgings Gaara had given them or at the Tower with the siblings whenever they weren't at the hospital.

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, feeling the haze of medication wearing off. He sighed and reached up to rub his eyes, breathing deeply. He blinked, trying to figure out how long he was asleep for this time, though he had no way of knowing.

"What's with your obsession cherry blossoms?" he heard a familiar voice call and he turned his head to see Karin sitting in a chair across the room in a relaxed manner. He blinked but said nothing.

She slowly stood up and strolled over, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You call for them repeatedly in your sleep." she explained lightly.

Sasuke looked away, staring at the ceiling. There was a very long pause and Karin spoke again, trying to prompt him to speak to her. "Is there something special about the flower?"

Sasuke stared straight ahead. "I'm not calling for the flower," he whispered in an almost inaudible voice. "It's a name."

"A name?" he heard her question but refused to look at her.

"Yes, a name. It's the name of my wife."

There was a long tense pause and Sasuke heard her take a large deep breath. "Oh." she muttered after a long moment.

Sasuke sighed after a moment. He weakly pointed to the drawer that held all his personal items they had found on him. "Go into the drawer and look for folded paper." he instructed and she quietly did so. She brought it back over to the bed and he instructed her to look at it. He listened as he heard the rustle of paper.

Sasuke finally glanced at her. She was staring at the picture of Sakura and the kids while she was still pregnant. Sasuke pointed to each person. "That's Seto, you remember, and next to him is Mikoto, my brother's daughter that I took in. She turned one this week." he said, silently noting that he wasn't sure it really was this week. He hadn't been lucid for what he assumed was the better part of days so he wasn't quite sure if it was this week.

"Seto's gotten bigger." Karin muttered and Sasuke smirked lightly.

"Yes. He just keeps on growing, too."

Karin glanced at him and then glanced back at the picture. "I'm assuming that is Sakura."

Sasuke nodded. "Yes, that my Sakura." he said, staring at her beautiful face. His heart ached in his chest and he felt the urge to try and get up again but he knew that if he did, then the doctors would sedate him again. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that he would see her soon.

"She's pregnant." Karin noticed.

Sasuke nodded. "She was. I have a newborn waiting at home for me." Sasuke stated calmly, knowing that he had to tell her the truth now. After using her and leading her on, he figured he at least owed her an explanation.

Karin looked at him in surprise. "But you went even gone for long! Barely over a year! How did you leave with only Seto and then now, barely a year later, you have Seto, Mikoto, this Sakura lady as a wife and a newborn! How!" She shouted angrily, angry tears filling her eyes.

Sasuke looked at her calmly, still slightly drowsy. "Sakura and I started dating in December last year. The anniversary is coming up soon." he started but was interrupted.

"You have got to be kidding me! You've know her for a year and you are already married to her!"

Sasuke slowly shook his head. "No, I've known her for years. We went to school together and were teammates as genin. When I returned to Konoha, she moved in to watch me and Seto and to help out. Living together changed things between us and we started dating quickly."

Karin glared. "I've lived with you in the same base from the time you came to the Sound." she retorted.

Sasuke looked at her incredulously. "That's different. There was many people in the base and I always made it a point to separate myself from the rest of the Sound nin. Why do you think I had my own separate quarters? Not because Orochimaru liked me so much that he thought I deserved it. I demanded it and acted like a spoiled brat and he caved because he knew it was in his best interest to keep me happy."

Karin was quiet for a long moment, probably trying to readjust her view of things, Sasuke assumed. Most people in the Sound knew that Sasuke had Orochimaru wrapped around his finger for the most part but Orochimaru never broadcasted the extent of it. Sasuke acted like a spoiled brat for the first year or two while with the snake. A lot went down in secret that no one really knew about, some not even Kabuto had the privilege to know about.

Karin was quite before she silently spoke. "So what? You started dating and then just rushed into marriage? What the hell is that all about? You've never struck me as the kind of person to rush into anything." Karin snapped after a moment.

"There was enough love that I didn't see the point in waiting. Sakura got pregnant and we got engaged." Sasuke started but again, he was interrupted.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me! This is about her getting knocked up! You knocked her up and then said, 'hell, it's bad enough that she's pregnant, why don't we get married and make it a thousand times worse!' Are you even sure that it's yours!" Karin shouted.

There was a long pause and Sasuke stared at her blankly. She huffed and tried to slow her breathing after her outburst, waiting for his answer. Very quietly and very seriously, Sasuke finally spoke after a very long moment. "If I wasn't so drugged up right now, I would smack you." he muttered darkly to her and she frowned, not realizing she overstepped a thin line.

"The reason I'm telling you all this is because I felt bad after leading you on so that I could find Orochimaru and then get back to my family quickly. But right now, I don't care if I hurt you because you just pissed me off. If you love me so much and know so much about what kind of person I am, what the hell would possess you to think that we would be together? I didn't even know your name until you told me.

"You have no idea who I am. I am a married man and I am a damn good father. I have little patience for people in general, especially when they talk shit about those I care about. I will not sit here and try to justify why I love my wife and not you. Now get out of my sight, you're making me sick," he snapped angrily and turned away from her.

There was no moment in the room for a long moment as Sasuke tried to cool down, but was unable to with her still sitting behind him. "Get out," he demanded before he heard a sniffle and then felt her weight shift as she stood up. Her footsteps were slow as they crossed the door and the door opened and then closed quietly.

A long moment passed and then Sasuke sat up and roughly ripped off all the cords and wires that the doctors had fastened to him. The machines around him beeped wildly as Sasuke pulled himself from the bed and tried to stand. His whole abdomen ached and protested against his movements but he ignored the pain and crossed the room to grab clothes. He marched into the attached bathroom and changed out of the hospital gown as quickly as he could before he exited the small room and grabbed his belongings.

He was walking towards the door when Naruto marched in. Without a word, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's legs and quickly threw the teen over his shoulder and marched him back over to the bed. Sasuke cursed loudly and struggled but stopped when he gasped in pain from the action. Naruto sighed. "See, you can't be getting up yet, Teme."

The doctor came in then and sighed in exasperation before he placed the clipboard down and reattached Sasuke to all the cords and wires before fixing the machines. He gave Sasuke a quick check up before he adjusted the pain medication, easing Sasuke's discomfort, and then exited again, warning Sasuke that he wasn't going to sedate him but he was going to be back very soon and not to try anything.

The door closed and Sasuke threw his arm over his eyes, trying to block out the world. Naruto sighed and then grabbed Sasuke's things and placed them back in the drawer across the room before silently taking off Sasuke's boots. Stripping Sasuke to just his shirt and pants, he pulled the blanket over the other teen's body.

Sasuke was silent through the thing, never looking at the blonde and covering his face. Naruto sighed and sat down in the chair Karin had previously occupied, pulling it closer to the side of the bed. "You want you talk?" Naruto muttered to his best friend.

Sasuke made no answer and Naruto sighed and leaned back in the chair, staring up at the ceiling fan. An half hour passed in this way before Sasuke finally spoke. "I was awake during surgery," he muttered quietly and Naruto turned and stared at him.

"What?"

Sasuke still covered his face with his arm while he spoke, his voice calm. "I was awake. I couldn't feel any pain or move but I was aware of what was going on around me. I could hear the doctors shouting, speaking in medical jumble that I couldn't understand."

Naruto was silent, not sure how he should take this news. Should he comfort his friend? Was his friend just having share time? Should he sue for malpractice?

"When the blade pierced my body, I had some time to think. I had thought I was willing to accept the fact that I was going to die. I had done what I set out to do and now I had nothing to worry about. But when I was laying there in surgery, aware that the doctors were trying to save me but weren't optimistic, I knew I wasn't," Sasuke whispered.

Naruto blinked and tried to think of something to say, but came up blank. There wasn't much one could say to this.

"Strawberries," Sasuke suddenly whispered and Naruto blinked in confusion.

"What?"

"Strawberries. Sakura's hair always smelled of strawberries . . .because of her conditioner," he whispered and then paused for a moment. "It's such an odd thing to remember but when I was lying on the table, I couldn't help but think that I would never get to smell the strawberries again.

"And then that got me thinking that I didn't teach Sakura any of the family jutsus and now the kids weren't going to be able to learn them. And that I never bought Seto that cereal he liked before I left. Or I never repainted Mikoto's room because I don't think she likes pink."

Naruto was silent for a moment. "Teme, she's a baby. I don't really think she cares what color her room is."

"She's not a baby. She's one. And she doesn't like pink. Her favorite bottle is red and if you give her the pink one, she throws it on the ground and refuses to drink from it. And she likes to play with my hair but won't touch Sakura's. She only plays with the blue bear and won't touch the pink pig."

The blonde blinked. "How do you notice this?"

Sasuke ignored the comment. "Did you know that Seto's favorite part of his cereal is the green marshmallows. He eats the actual cereal part first and then eats all the marshmallows, except the green marshmallows. Once done, he eats those and then adds chocolate syrup to his milk because he doesn't like plain white milk."

"No, I did not know that," Naruto stated, suddenly worried about Sasuke's mental health.

"When Sakura concentrates, she furrows her eyebrows, a habit that Seto has started to do as well."

"Sasuke, are you okay?"

Sasuke slowly shook his head. "No. I want to go home."

Naruto sighed. "Give it some time.

"I don't wan to give it time. I want to go home now."

xOx

Tsunade had been giving her daily updates on Sasuke's condition, and while she wouldn't be satisfied until he was home, she was at least happy that he was improving. She eyed a copy of the his records, happy that he was improving. But something that drew her attention was the amount of sedatives he was being given. He was flying high from the amounts noted in the records. She brushed it off, noting that it was probably a typo.

She turned her attention back to the letter she was writing. Her aunt and family had left the village a few days ago after spending almost a week here. Her cousins still wanted her to write detailed letters and she had been slacking as of late so she was determined to finish this one.

After a moment, she sighed and gave trying to write it and pushed it aside. She got up and checked on Mikoto playing in the playpen in the corner of the room. She gently patted the girl's head before moving up the stairs and into one of the bedrooms. Kai was sleeping peacefully in the crib and Sakura gently adjusted the blanket wrapped around him.

After making sure that he was good, she crept silently out of the room and headed down stairs. Standing in the hall for a moment, she smiled and headed back up stairs. She changed into her old training clothes and grabbed some of her weapons pouches. With Seto at daycare, Kai sleeping and Mikoto playing peacefully, she figured she could use the time to train.

When she was finished dressing, she grabbed the baby monitor and stopped at Tenten and Hinata's room. She knocked and Tenten opened the door calmly after a moment. The other girl stared at Sakura for a moment, seeing an excited smile on Sakura face. She blinked in surprise, having not seen the light in her face in awhile. "What's up?"

Sakura smiled. "I feel like training. I was wondering if someone would want to watch Mikoto for awhile and someone else trained with me. I want to get my figure back."

Tenten smiled and glanced over her shoulder to look at Hinata, who was reading peacefully until a moment before. Hinata stood and walked over. "I'll watch Mikoto for you. You two go have fun."

The two girls smiled and then quickly pulled the smaller girl into a hug. Hinata let out a yelp of surprise before Tenten quickly released her and grabbed her gear. Not wasting a moment, the two rushed down the stairs and into the backyard.

They wasted as little time as possible. Springing at each other, they started some hand to hand combat. It felt good, Sakura noted, to train and use her chakra this way after months of disuse. It felt refreshing and she was starting to feel alive again. After feeling like her world was falling apart for so long, it felt nice to know that Sasuke was getting better and she was getting better. It felt natural.

But another thing she noticed was that she was out of shape. She wasn't able to do anything while she was pregnant except eat lots of peanut butter and maybe dance around but even that got harder to do as the days passed. And since Kai was born, she had lost some of the initial weight but she was still carrying most of the baby weight, a fact she has been greatly bothered by.

Being a kunoichi, she has to stay fit. She has to be able to move around quickly and be sexy for certain missions. Carrying around the baby weight was not ideal and it left Sakura feeling like she was another person. But working and moving, it felt nice. She felt like herself again.

And while she knew that she wasn't going to lose the weight in one session, by the time it the session drew to an end, she felt better. She felt exhausted and like she was going to fall over, but she felt as if she had burnt a lot of calories.

Hinata cooked dinner that night. She made a well balanced meal that was good for you, but also diet food. Sakura thanked her, starting her diet today. It was sort of irrational, but she wanted to be as small as she could get in the time that she has while Sasuke is gone. She wanted to lose some of the weight while Sasuke is gone so he wouldn't have to see her that way.

The night passed uneventfully and they all awoke to a cold November day. Tsunade had wanted to see Kai for a check-up. Because of his chakra control, she wanted to just do a check up to see how he was growing.

They girls and the kids ate and then got ready. They were out the door by eleven, with Kai, Mikoto and Seto bundled up nicely for the weather but not too bulky. Sakura held Kai close to her chest while Ino held Seto's hand and Hinata held Mikoto. They chatted pleasantly, ignoring the usual stares they received by the villagers.

A woman suddenly stepped out in front of them and blocked their path. Sakura gripped Kai protectively to her chest while the girls did similar actions to the other kids. Tenten stepped up in front to block the woman from the girls and the kids.

The woman eyed Tenten and held her hands up in a sign of peace. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I just . . .," she said to Tenten and then paused, peering around her to eye Sakura. "Is it true that the Uchiha, I mean your husband," she corrected and then looked away for a moment. "Is it true that he is fighting he killed Orochimaru?"

Sakura blinked. "Where did you hear that?"

She looked away in embarrassment. "Gossip around the village. I don't usually listen to it, but I heard it and I just had to know the truth."

Sakura was silent for a long time. "I don't know the specifics," she muttered while looking down at her child. "Tsunade won't tell me. But I do know that my Sasuke sustained critical injuries while fighting and Orochimaru's injuries were even worse. Going by Sasuke's injuries, I don't see how the snake could have survived."

The woman blinked and then bowed her head in respect. "Bless you and your family!"

Sakura blinked in surprise, finding it sort of hard to believe that the woman had said that. Their family had been disliked for so long that she just couldn't wrap her mind around a person saying a kind word to her. She looked around, seeing that people had stopped to watch the scene and listen. She eyed their faces, not seeing the usual hatred or disgust. Some actually looked grateful and bowed their heads in respect when meeting her eyes. Others seemed not to know what do think. They didn't seem sort of grateful but were unsure if it was really true.

Sakura paid more attention to the people around her as they continued their path to the hospital. She noticed the same feelings among others and she couldn't help but feel hope bubbling in her. Maybe one day the village will get over their irrational hate for her family.

With these thoughts circling around in her head, she met u with Tsunade in one of the hospital rooms. Tsunade ran through a few tests and determined that everything was looking good, though she wanted to continue to watch him. As she was finishing up, there was a knock on the door and they turned to see a nurse poke her head in.

"Hokage-sama, the refugees are starting to come in," she said and Tsunade nodded.

"Thank you," she said, dismissing the nurse before turning her attention to the charts she was looking at.

Sakura pulled Kai into her arms, staring at Tsunade in a questionable manner. "Refugees?"

Tsunade glanced at her quickly before she finished with the paperwork quickly. She closed the folder and looked at her student. "The Sound Village refugees. With Orochimaru and Kabuto gone, the village is falling apart. The shinobi are in the midst of a civil war, trying to raise in power but only tearing each other apart. Innocence people are getting caught in the crossfire and are fleeing to neighboring villages."

Sakura blinked. "Well, if you get overwhelmed at the hospital, you can call me in."

"You are on maternity leave," Tsunade stated.

Sakura nodded. "I know, but if I'm needed, then I don't want you to worry about that. I can help if you need me to."

Tsunade smiled softly and hugged her student gently. "You are care too much for your own good."

xOx

A few more days passed and Sasuke got some pretty great news. Though the doctors were urging him to continue his stay in the hospital, he had reached the point where he could leave. He would be leaving against medical advice, and wasn't quite ready but Gaara and Tsunade had arranged for them to come home as soon as Sasuke gets discharged. Now that he had a way home, he wasn't going to wait until he got better to leave.

Sasuke down sat on his bed, fully dressed and packing his bag. The doctor entered and eyed him before letting out a exasperated sigh. "You know, you really shouldn't be leaving yet. There is still risk of infection and your wounds haven't fully closed yet."

Sasuke did not bother to look at him. "I'm going home to my family. My wife is a doctor, the best there is. If I have some sort of infection or whatever, she'll fix me up."

The doctor raised an eyebrow and stared at him in a disbelieving manner. "Seriously?"

Naruto, Kiba and Itachi entered the room at that moment and, obviously having been listening, Naruto answered the man. "Seriously. Ever heard of Tsunade, the Slug Princess?"

The man nodded. "Who hasn't?"

Naruto leaned against the counter in a nonchalant manner, though with a arrogant air about him. "Yeah, well, his wife and my friend trained underneath her and has surpassed her in skill. She's on her way to be the next Legendary Sannin. We all are," he said, gesturing to Sasuke and himself.

The doctor looked glanced between the two, seeming to have a hard time believing it. Sasuke, not looking at Naruto, scolded him. "Shut up, Dobe."

Naruto scowled. "No, you shut up, Teme! It's true! Sakura and I have surpassed both Tsunade and the pervert, and hell, you killed your sensei!"

"Yeah and it almost killed me in the process."

Naruto jumped onto the bed, sitting opposite of the dark-haired teen at the end of the bed. "Well, yeah, but only because of a poorly placed sword."

The two continued to bicker back in forth while the other people in the room watched. The doctor shook his head. "And he wants me to believe that they are stronger than the Sannin," he muttered to himself.

Kiba, however, overheard and looked at him. "It's hard to believe but it's true. One of these days you are going to have some major bragging rights when you can say that you saved Sasuke Uchiha's life, the next Snake Sannin."

The doctor eyed him and then eyed the two teens on the bed, bickering about the Sannin.

"I'm telling you, it would be really cool! People would call Sakura the Cherry Blossom Slug Princess, you the Black Snake and me the Nine Tailed Toad Sage!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. "Doesn't that sound cool!"

Sasuke eyed him with a raised eyebrow. "You've thought a lot about this, haven't you?"

Naruto grinned stupidly. "Yes, I have. So what do you say about the tattoos?"

Sasuke sighed, tired of the squabbling. "Fine, if we become the next generation, then I will get a tattoo with you."

"Yes! I'm telling you, it's gonna be cool. I already know what I'm going to get; a fierce, grand-looking toad with nine orange tails sprouting from behind him. What about you?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know. Something with a snake."

Naruto pouted. "Oh, come one, Teme! I know you can come up with something better than that!"

Sasuke sighed and continued arranging his bag. "Fine, a black snake wrapped around the Uchiha fan."

"Yeah, that's more like it. Do you think Sakura will get one with us?"

Sasuke smirked. "Probably. She's not one to sit out when it comes to team seven."

The doctor cleared his throat and stepped forward. "I don't mean to interrupt this 'interesting' conversation but I really must urge you again to stay in the hospital's care for a least a while longer," he said but Sasuke was already shaking his head. Seeing that he wasn't going to get through to him, he sighed and handed him a clipboard. "Then you will need to sign these AMA forms."

"What's the forms for?" Itachi asked from across the room.

"Against Medical Advise forms. It says that you left on your own accord and we can be liable for any sort of complications that may occur."

Sasuke nodded and quickly signed it before handing it back and standing up. He winced slightly and the doctor reached out to steady him. "Take it slow."

Sasuke, once he was in better control, brushed him off and tried to grab his bag but Itachi had already grabbed it, carrying it for his younger brother. Sasuke eyed him but decided not to argue, wanting to avoid an unnecessary fight. The doctor, went to Itachi's side and handed him a pill bottle. Careful not to be overheard by Sasuke, he spoke. "I know he's too stubborn to take these so I'll give them to you. They are pain medication. Trust me, with the way he is recklessly moving around, he's going to need them later."

Itachi nodded, taking to bottle and tucking them out of sight. His brother was so concerned about going home that he wasn't really thinking clearly. Luckily his older brother got his back.

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**Tada. Hoped you enjoyed. Please review.**

**Oh, as a random note. i looked up the Sannin and Tsunade is called the Slug Princess, Jiraiya is the Toad Sage and Orochimaru is the White Snake. Sakura, as i would like to believe, will one day be the Cherry Blossom Slug Princess, Naruto the Nine Tailed Toad Sage and the Sasuke the Black Snake. It was a play on the names, taking parts from their sensei's nicknames and changing it to fit them. I just though some would like to know.**


	44. Chapter 44

**Hey. Yeah, it's been more than a month since i updated. I know, i'm a horrible person. (Even worse of a person when you actually read the chapter) I've been busy. I've finished up the school year, which was filled with last minute cramming and then my six finals. Since the last time i updated, I've finished my sophomore year, i've gone to two days of school for the college thing, a grad party, three birthday parties (in a row), and a wedding. Plus, you factor in writers block and you have my absence all summed up.**

**Not going to ramble, but i just want to say that i recommend watching **Remember Me **with Rob Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin. An amazing moive, in my opinion. As an American, i feel touched by the ending. As a girl who loves romance, i loved the relationship between Tyler and Ally. Loved it.**

**Well, thanks to all that reviwed. It means the world and finally got me to sit down and force myself to write this chapter. Warning now, the chapter sucks and practically no editing went into it. You have been warned.**

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The sun signaled that it was barely noon when Neji called for another break. Though everyone were slightly irritated by the slow progress, no one complained.

Sasuke exhaled in a huff and sat where he stood while the others moved slightly off the road. Though trying to keep his cool, he was in some real pain. He was trying to hide this fact but everyone was watching him carefully and if he showed the slightest weakness, they would stop for another break. It was irritating for all of them, but for Sasuke the most, for he hates to show weakness and he was slowing everyone down.

Trying to ignore the pain, Sasuke pulled his knees up and folded his arms over them, cradling his head there. He cursed himself for being weak. He cursed himself for slowing them down. He cursed himself for being stupid enough to even get hurt in the first place.

Itachi walked over to his brother and gently nudged him with his foot. When the teen looked up, the older male held out an apple to him. "Eat up. You haven't eaten anything today and you need your strength."

Sasuke nodded and took the apple, trying to picture himself eating it. With his abdomen aching like it is now, he hadn't been able to eat any breakfast. But his brother was right, he needed the strength. Slowly, he took a bite and chewed. He swallowed and mentally cursed again. It was the first solid food he had eaten since the incident. He was on the IV at first and then slowly given some soup, which he had only eaten a few bites of.

Itachi smirked softly at his brother, unaware of the internal suffering, and then rejoined the rest of the team by the side of the road. He watched him go and then forced himself to eat it, knowing he would need the strength.

The break slowly dragged to an end and everyone finished their snack. The group stood up again, preparing to leave. Naruto went over to Sasuke. "Yo, Teme, we're getting ready to leave. You done eating?" he asked and Sasuke nodded, throwing the apple pit down and reaching out his hand. Naruto took it and gently pulled him to his feet.

But before they could move anywhere, Sasuke lurched. Naruto let out a yelp and jumped out of the way as Sasuke emptied the contents of his newly filled stomach. The blonde blinked and then pat his friend on the back while Sasuke continued to heave, wincing as he did so. Naruto suddenly stopped, staring down at the ground.

When the fit seemed to be over, Sasuke wiped his mouth clean and tried to get his bearings, dizzy and shaking like he was. He glanced up at Naruto and gave him a puzzled look. "I find it a little weird that you are staring at my vomit so intently," he commented lightly.

Naruto didn't look away. "Yeah, well, I find it a little weird that most of what you vomited was blood," he said in a very calm tone that contradicted the importance of what he just said.

Sasuke blinked and looked down to confirm what Naruto had just said. It was true, no matter how much he wished it wasn't. He looked to his best friend with a calm face, ignoring the stares of the rest of the group. "Well than we better be getting home quickly. It looks like I'm suffering form one of those complications that doctor was so nice as to warn me about."

Naruto flashed him a dark look. "This isn't funny. We have no clue as to what complication could be going on in your body and you're joking around. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Sasuke looked away, unable to explain it to his friend. Naruto was right, it isn't funny. It's bad, he knew that. But he couldn't panic and make a big deal about it. He had to think that its nothing and that he'll be fine as soon as he sees his family. He has to act as if it is nothing because if he doesn't, he might finally break.

Naruto cursed loudly, frustrated with his friend's silence. He turned and knelt down while muttering under his breath. Sasuke stared at him for a long moment. "Get on," Naruto demanded.

Sasuke blinked with a puzzled look on his face. "What?"

Naruto glanced over his shoulder with a dark look. "Do not argue with me!" he shouted angrily. "You are vomiting blood, unable to eat, and in pain! We need to get you home quickly and you aren't moving very fast. Now shut your mouth, suck up that stupid Uchiha pride of ours and get on my back! I'll carry your dumb ass home!"

Sasuke stared at the ground, feeling stupid and embarrassed to be called out like that. Without saying a word, he stepped up and slowly climbed onto Naruto's back. Once Naruto felt he was secure, he pushed himself into a standing position, grunting from the exertion. Sasuke heard this and quickly tried to get off. "Naruto, put me down. This is ridiculous. I'm too heavy for you to be carrying. I'm fine, I can walk," he insisted while struggling.

Naruto yelped, losing his grip on his best friend and his own balance as well. "Teme, stop moving! We're both going down if you don't stop struggling!" he shouted and Sasuke stilled. "Stop being stupid. I'm trying to get you home and I'll can carry you."

"I'm too heavy," Sasuke protested.

"Well if he gets tired then I will take over," Itachi said, walking over to interrupt the argument.

"Yeah, I'll carry you half the way and then Itachi will take over," Naruto assured.

Kisame stepped forward. "A third of the way. I'll carry you, too," he said and the group slowly merged together, exclaiming that they could carry him.

Sasuke opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted by Karin, who hadn't even looked at him since the incident at the hospital. "I'm not going to carry you," she stated and everyone turned to stare at her in confusion.

Sasuke felt his eyes narrow at her automatically. "Good, cause I don't want you touching me," he snapped without thinking.

A tense paused followed as the two stared at each other, both still miffed at one another. Naruto eyed the rest of group, seeing the obvious confusion on all their faces. They hadn't heard about the fight the two had and were at least a bit confused about the hostile air between them.

Sasuke sighed and tucked his head into Naruto's shoulder, muttering darkly to himself for being weak. Naruto secured his grip and gave a nod to the group before they all started moving again. However, Itachi stepped in front of him, digging through his bag. Something raddled in his hand and Sasuke looked up, seeing his older pouring two small pills into his hand. He wordlessly handed it to him.

Sasuke eyed them, not wanting them.

"Don't argue with me. They are pain meds."

Sasuke didn't get a chance to protest before Kisame grabbed them and forced them into the teen's mouth. Sasuke choked but got it down.

"See, that wasn't so hard," he stated.

xOx

Sakura sighed, staring at her calendar. Tsunade had received a letter from Gaara dated the day that the team left Suna. Sakura stared at the calendar, recounting the days to be sure she wasn't making a mistake. She sighed after a moment.

She knew the number of days it would take for a team to travel from Suna to Konoha. Hell, she had made the trip numerous times in the past. She knew how many days it would take, yet the team was late. Something was slowing them down.

Suddenly disgusted with the calendar, she threw it across the room, knocking over a picture frame that held a picture of her parents. Not wanting to bother with it, she exited the room quickly, stopping into Kai's room to check on him. He had just awoken from his nap, she noticed, and was about to starting crying for her attention. She cradled him in her arms, cooing for a moment before she exited the room.

"You're going to meet your papa soon," she promised to her young son, ignoring the fact that he couldn't understand her yet.

Ino stood at the bottom of the stairs, having overheard the young mother's promise. Sakura paused on one of the last steps for only a moment before she continued her trek to the kitchen. "You know, it's a little weird for a person to be just hanging out at the bottom of the steps like that," she commented lightly.

Ino followed a step behind her, taking a seat at the kitchen table while Sakura set Kai down in one of the carriers they had around the house. Sakura went to the counter next, cleaning. She had never noticed it before, but it seemed like the place was always a mess because of how many people coming in and out of the house plus numerous kids. She had never noticed because Sasuke was always moving around, cleaning and fixing things. Now that he was gone, so was the clean house.

"Tsunade has set up ANBU to guard the perimeter and warn us when the team are coming. Stop stressing," Ino comment from behind her.

Sakura sighed. "It's only natural for me to stress. I fall apart without him. I just don't feel whole without him by my side."

Ino snorted. "Oh, trust me, I can tell. You're no fun without him here," she said and Sakura flashed her a halfhearted dark look. Ino smirked. "You know, and that really sucks 'cause I could do without that jerk annoying me all day but you're all testy without him," she teased lightly and Sakura couldn't help but smile.

But before she could retort, there was a loud knock on the door, sounding urgent. Sakura blinked and then grabbed her towel to wipe her hands and rushed to answer the door. "I'm coming," she called.

When she opened the door, a masked ANBU greeted her. Her heart skipped a beat and gripped the door for support.

"I was sent to inform you that a team of shinobi were spotted heading in the direction of the gate."

Sakura worked to calm herself and to give the man a response. "Thank you so much," she said before the ANBU nodded and departed quickly. She barely bothered to close the door before rushing towards the stairs. "Girls! Grab Mikoto! Seto, come down and get your shoes on!"

Ino was right behind her, demanding what was happening. Tenten and Seto quickly rushed down the stairs, Hinata with Mikoto following right behind at a slower pace. "Mommy?" Seto asked in confusion.

Sakura bent over and patted his head. "Go get your shoes on and I'll tell you what's going on as soon as we get there. Now go."

He scurried off quickly and then girls eyed her. "The team is coming in," she said before turning on her heels and rushing to the kitchen.

It wasn't long before they all found themselves standing by the front gates. And like every piece of news in the village, word traveled quickly and a crowd was growing bigger and bigger with each passing moment. Sakura held Kai in her arms, trying to focus on him instead of the wait ahead of her.

The crowd soon began to grow restless, and Sakura's own mood greatly everyone else's. But when the first sight of the figures in the distance came in view, everything grew still.

The team made slow progress to the gates because of Sasuke. He had threw a fit in the last three miles, insisting that he walk through the gates himself. A few miles before, the team had split into two, Itachi and Kisame leaving and going a round-about way to the village. With his older brother out of the way, Sasuke was able to throw a big enough fit that would secure him as the victor of the conflict.

Walking slowly, he spotted a crowd standing just inside the gate. His eyes scanned the number of people until they met with the familiar pink haired girl of his dreams. He smiled, his heart thumping wildly in his chest while butterflies fluttered around his stomach and he fought to keep his happiness from choking him. He sped up his pace, ignoring the pain he knew he should be feeling but wasn't and the warnings of his teammates to take it easy.

A smiled lit up Sakura face when she was able to recognize the person in the lead. Without a word, Ino stepped up and Sakura gently passed Kai to her. It was only when Kai was out of her hands did she realize that she was beginning to shake. This shaking, she silently concluded, probably came from the tears that was burring her vision.

When Sasuke was in a respectable distance Sakura got tired of waiting for him and sped to him. Naruto shouted in protest but both ignored him as Sakura threw herself into Sasuke's arms. Sasuke clamped his arms around her tightly, lifting her from the ground into a hug. Sakura choked on a sob, laughing and squeezing him as tight as she could.

Sasuke laughed as well and suddenly lifted her body higher in the air, spinning her twice before lowering her down enough that she could reach his lips. Any person watching the reunion couldn't deny the love present between the two. In that moment, the villagers didn't see Sasuke was a monster anymore. They saw him as a teen who had fallen madly in love with the Cherry Blossom of Konoha and her as the girl that loved him back just as much.

The kiss was something that every girl would be jealous of. It was slow and passionate, but needed no censure. Each expressed everything they felt for each other: their irrevocable love, the pain they felt while apart, the happiness they felt to be together again.

They pulled apart for air, not loosening their grip on one another. Sasuke planted several small chaste kisses on her lips before he pulled her into a hug again, slowly lowering her so that she was standing on her own again. Though he wouldn't acknowledge or admit it, his entire abdomen was searing in pain. It took all of his self control to keep the pain hidden.

He kissed her again. "Never leave my side again," she whispered through her tears.

"I'm always with you," he promised, knowing it was the most he could ever do.

She hugged him tighter, causing Sasuke more pain that he tried to ignore. A bad thing about being with Sakura, Sasuke noted, was that her super-human strength often bruised him; whether it being from moments like this, arguments, or even when they were being more intimate. Being with her left him more sore than training did sometimes.

He glanced over her shoulder. Hinata held Mikoto in her arms, the little girl staring at him blankly, not seeming to recognize him. Tenten stood holding Seto's hand, who seemed to be wanting to run over to them. He eyed Ino last, seeing a familiar shaped bundle in her arms.

Sasuke lessened his grip and Sakura did the small, giving him another kiss. He smiled and kissed her back eagerly before pulling back and gripping her hand. He started for the rest of his family but, like Sakura had done, Seto shot forward. Sasuke barely had time to drop Sakura's hand before Seto was in his arms.

He hugged the boy tightly and kissed the top of his head. Seto sobbed into Sasuke's shirt, gripping him as tight as his little boy would allow. "I missed you so much Daddy," he choked out.

"I know, Buddy, I missed you, too."

With Sakura right behind him, Sasuke went to greet the rest of them. He was barely aware of the fact that Tenten gently placed a hand on his shoulder before running to meet up with Neji. Sasuke glanced back in time to see the girl tackle him to the ground.

It took a long time for Sasuke to be able to set Seto down again, but when he did, he pulled Mikoto into his arms and freeing Hinata's so she could go to Naruto. The blonde pulled her into a hug and swung her around a couple of times before kissing her, very similar to what Sasuke had done.

Mikoto didn't seem to recognize him at first before Sasuke hummed softly in her ear. This small action made her giggle and then grip a fistful of his hair. Sasuke chuckled softly and kissed her forehead.

By this time, Kai was back in Sakura's arms and Ino was with Shikamaru. The blonde hugged him tightly and tried to fight the tears that threatened to fall. "I hope it wasn't too troublesome," she muttered.

He gently pulled away so that he could place his hand on her cheek, she blushed and a tear fell without her wanting it to. He wiped it away with his thumb. "Troublesome woman," he muttered before he captured her lips. Their first kiss.

Sasuke gently put Mikoto down, grateful to Mai who stepped up to watch after her for a moment. Mikoto was currently up to the point where she could stand and walk with some assistance. Sasuke eyed his little girl for a moment, glad that she was good and that he didn't have to hold her. As much as he would love to do so, he was in so much pain that he didn't know if he could stand to have a one your old pressed against him for another moment.

"Do you want to meet your son?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke nodded and stepped forward. His hands shook, Sakura noticed but she just assumed it was from the crazy whirlwind of emotion they were both feeling. What she didn't know was that Sasuke shook from pain and that he was beginning to feel dizzy and light-headed.

Sasuke cradled his son in his arms carefully, trying to focus on him. He was so small, but prefect. It was so strange to hold him in his arms and know that half of this child was him. With Seto and Mikoto, he had felt a special bond with them as their substitute father. But with Kai, it was his blood running through his veins, his genes that make up half of who he was. It was different and it amazed Sasuke to feel this. He hadn't known it was possible to feel this way.

Unfortunately, this great moment was cut short. He could feel his stomach churning and he quickly passed Kai back to Sakura. Sakura stared at him with wide eyes, confused by his reaction. Before she could question him, Sasuke called for Naruto.

The blonde sprang out of Hinata's arms and rushed to his best friend's side. He got there in time for Sasuke to lurch and begin vomiting blood all over. Everyone surrounding them gasped and backed away while some of the girls grabbed a hold of Sakura, who screamed.

Naruto could feel Sasuke's weigh getting heavier and heavier in his arms while Sasuke continued to vomit up more blood. It seemed like he was emptying the contents of his entire body because just when one heave ended, another wave hit him and more blood splattered to the ground with a sickening sound.

"NEJI! I NEED YOUR HELP HERE!" Naruto called.

Neji quickly grabbed a hold of Sasuke just in time for the teen's legs in give in. Sasuke now was being held by the two other teens while the blood continued to flow without seeming to stop. Hinata now held Kai and gripped Seto's hand, trying to block him from seeing the scene. Tenten and Ino held Sakura as she screamed and thrashed in their arms, wanting to go to him.

Then everything just stopped. Sasuke suddenly stopped heaving and Sakura stopped thrashing, watching for a sign of recovery. Sasuke blinked tiredly and then his eyes slowly fluttered close. A moment later, his body went limp in the arms of the two teens.

And just as suddenly as the peace care, it ended. Sakura was screaming with even more vigor and Naruto and Neji were moving, trying to get a better grip on him as his body suddenly started to convulse. Kakashi, emerging from the crowd to welcome the tem back, stilled at the sight and then launched himself over to help. Lee helped the girls with Sakura while Kiba was running to the hospital.

Sasuke, now being carried by Naruto, Neji, and Kakashi while Shikamaru cleared a path through the crowd, was quickly taken to the hospital.

Silently, Sakura collapsed to the ground as her husband disappeared from sight.

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**Hate me? Sorry. Please review.**


	45. Chapter 45

**Well i'm just going to get to it, no rambling. I tried to get the chapter up as soon as i could. Mi padre's birthday was on the 3rd and then yesterday was the 4th so i've been partying with la familia. But i worked hard to get this chapter writen quickly. **

**Thank you to all that reviewed. 1000 reviews! I'm so . . . . i don't even know! I can't describe how i'm feeling! Thank you so much, my beautiful friends! This really just blows my mind! THANK YOU!**

**Also, i must say that a review signed **dreamlessnights** really made me smile. I agree, the ending is sad but i love it anyways. A great movie. And i'm glad you like the story and i was able to hook you. Maybe i can get you to try more Sasusaku-ness, lol. **

**No more rambling, enjoy. Oh, advanced warning, almost no editin went into this. lol. I got lazy. Sorry.**

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Sasuke was barely conscious of all the activity around him. As the moments slipped by, things got a bit clearer, to the point where he could partially understand what was going on.

He was in the hospital, he realized. He was on a gurney, surrounded by a team of medics. He recognized Tsunade's voice, burry and muffled as everything was, shouting commands. He felt this shirt being ripped open and he was only slightly aware of the feel of probing fingers along his abdomen. He tried to open his eyes but they kept fluttering close without him wanting them to.

With a struggle, he opened his eyes again and things became clearer. A doctor touched a tender spot under his rib and he sucked in a breath quickly, getting enough energy to swat a hand away before things started to cloud over again. He fought against the haze that threatened to overcome him.

He lost.

Everything went dark and he felt as if he was floating. He felt light and wasn't in pain anymore, a fact that he was grateful for. Unfortunately for him, the feeling didn't last. One moment he was floating in nothingness, completely pain free and then the next he was jolted back in the hospital, feeling as every nerve in his body was on fire.

"He's back!" someone shouted.

"Good, he can't die yet! I won't let him!" Tsunade exclaimed.

A fog settled over him again and then he was back in the nothingness. He was there longer this time before he was jolted back. The first thing he became aware of was someone screaming hysterically, calling his name between screams.

"Get her out of here!" Tsunade yelled before the sound of people trying to subdue someone else filled the background.

A large crash sounded and Sasuke lulled his head to the right, looking with blurred vision as Sakura fought against several doctors. She screamed and tried to push passed them. "Tsunade, let me help! I have to save him!" she screamed, tears pouring down her face.

"Get out, Sakura! You are too emotionally involved and I can't do this while you are screaming and just looking absolutely pathetic right behind me! Get out and let me save your stupid husband!" Tsunade yelled.

Sasuke stared at Sakura as she slumped, looking defeated and tired. She did look pathetic, he dimly noted, and he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms.

Ino entered the room and pulled Sakura into her arms, pulling her out of the room. Sakura cried and protested again. Sasuke, with great effort, extended his arm towards her. She stilled for a moment before her eyes caught his and then she was thrashing wildly again. "Let me go! He wants me! Look! He wants me to hold his hand! Please!" he screamed while Ino dragged he rout.

Sasuke arm gave out and it dropped helplessly in the air, hanging off the side of the gurney. The next moments were another blur. He wanted to move but his body wouldn't listen, wouldn't move. He wanted to talk, but he couldn't find his voice. He wanted to do something, but he couldn't.

Things got blurrier and words and actions became mixed together, harder to pick out. He was able to catch words like, "infection," and, "internal bleeding," and, "surgery," before he felt the now familiar haze settling over him again.

"He's crashing again," someone shouted.

"Damn it, Uchiha! You can't die on me yet!"

The haze settled and he was back to the nothingness again. By this time, he began to realize that this nothingness was not good. It meant that his heart had stopped beating and he was dead. He realized that he felt no pain because, when you're dead, there is really no reason for pain. And as inviting as the nothingness felt, as strange as that my seem, he knew he couldn't be enveloped.

He fought, trying to find a way out. Then he was back, Tsunade cursing at him for almost giving in. If he wasn't in such bad shape, he had no doubt that Tsunade would have smacked him.

"Damn it, Uchiha! You have to be strong! We are taking you to surgery and if you aren't strong, your dumb ass is going to end up dead, leaving your family alone!"

Sasuke nodded slowly, feeling like his own body was foreign to him. "Deal," he managed to mutter.

Tsunade smiled down at him. "Now that's the Uchiha I know, stubborn as hell."

xOx

She was tired, she couldn't even bring herself to speak like a normal human being. She slumped against the wall in the waiting room, because Tsunade has several people watching her to make sure she didn't move from that room. Her voice was hoarse from the screaming and she couldn't seem to find her voice anymore. She was sore from struggling, and even though she had already healed any bruises she had gotten, she felt like she had been brutally beaten.

Ino plopped down next to her, gently nudging her. "Really stupid question, but how are you feeling?"

Sakura turned sluggishly and threw her a tired glare. Ino nodded. "Yeah, I figured."

Sakura sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. Ino rubbed her arm comfortingly but could really do no help. Ino sighed as well, staring at the wall in front of them, sipping a cup of coffee. A silence settled over them.

The doors to the room suddenly burst open and Sakura looked up to see Itachi and Kisame charging through the doors. They didn't seem to notice them at first, looking around in a panic, seeming to be on a mission. Sakura called for Itachi before he could enter the restricted surgical bay.

He turned and then rushed to her. She pulled herself up quickly and then collapsed in his arms, holding tightly to him but unable to cry anymore tears.

"What's going on? What happened?"

Sakura shook her head. "I don't know. They won't tell me anything. They won't let me go help or know anything or even think about doing something productive. They moved us to the surgical waiting room so I'm assuming that Tsunade, my mentor, his operating on him but I just don't know."

Itachi shook his head and held her tight, knowing that while he wasn't particularly comfortable with the situation, she needed it. And while he wasn't to quick to admit it, having someone hold him back was helping him through this.

"Where are the kids?"

"Hinata took them to one of the on-call rooms for the night. I was falling apart and scaring the kids, quite frankly, and the whole thing is just crazy that we thought it would be best to let them rest. And although on-call rooms are for doctors on call, I pulled some strings. But you don't really need to know that or really care, but I'm rambling because I'm tired and I think I need water or something to drink because my throat hurts," Sakura rambled before Ino handed her coffee. Sakura took it gratefully.

Ino laughed humorlessly. "She hasn't said no word in an hour and then you show up and she can't stop talking. I swear, you Uchiha men do something to her," she joked, seeming to just trying to make light of the situation so she wouldn't break too.

There was a pause and then Sakura pulled back and eyed the two criminals. "What are you going here? You need to get back to the house before you get arrested."

Itachi shook his head. He did go home but he was already worried about his brother. When no news came in he almost went mad. Luckily, Lee remembered them and rushed to tell them the news.

"My brother is in emergency surgery. My little brother. I'm not going to be anywhere but here."

Sakura nodded and straightened herself out. She took a calming breath and then pulled her brother-in-law over to the row of chairs by the wall. Kisame leaned against the wall opposite of them while Ino joined the two, linking hands with Sakura and passing the coffee cup between her and her best friend. Friends came in and out of the two, lingering and offering as much support as they can in the situation.

Kiba shook his head slowly. "Man, it is not Uchiha's month," he muttered after a moment. Almost every head turned in his direction.

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi muttered, running a hand through his hair.

Kiba shrugged sluggishly, the long hours and stress of the situation wearing everyone down. "He's having a bad month. He was upset because he was away from his family, missed the birth of his child, ended up as a Uchiha-Snake skewer, died twice in surgery, spent a week on so much drugs that he didn't know which way was up, left the hospital against medical advise and had some sort of complication that wound him up here, possibly dying again."

Naruto eyed him and then stood up calmly and walked to his side. Kiba glanced up lazily before Naruto punched him in the face, a crack greeting the ears of everyone in the room. Kiba flipped over the back of the chair and landed in a heap, cursing all the while. Naruto cursed too, shaking his hand as his knuckles turned bright red.

Kiba cursed again. "Hell! What the fuck was that for!"

Naruto glared at him. "We are all upset. That is my best friend in there. That is our family in there and you are being a dick. Just shut the hell up! Sasuke is stronger than that! Yes, he already died twice in Suna! He can make it through this too! He's a damn Uchiha! Stubbornness is in his blood!"

A silence lingered in the room, the only noise from Kiba moving on the ground and Naruto's angry breathing. Another tear silently fell from Sakura's eye but she didn't acknowledge it. "Kiba," she muttered silently and they all looked at her. She wiped the tear away slowly. "Go get someone to check out your face. I thought I heard a crack and your face is already swelling."

Another pause. "Can you look at it for me?" he asked.

She smirked humorlessly. "No."

He snorted. "I figured. You need to be here."

Sakura nodded and another tear slipped. "I need to be here."

Ino snorted. "Plus, she's on maternity leave so your dumb ass is out of luck," she said, throwing a candy wrapper at him.

"Watch it, Barbie," Kiba muttered.

Tenten groaned angrily. "Will you just stop? There are more important things to worry about than some bickering. Just shut up and wait for Tsunade to finish up."

As if she was personally called, Tsunade pushed through the surgical bay doors with a tired expression. Her eyes seemed to droop and she was moving slowly. Her hair was pulled back but pieces fell forward in her face. She was rolling her neck, trying to fix a kink in the muscles.

Sakura stood up quickly and stepped forward. "Tsunade?"

Tsunade sighed and closed the distance between them. She eyed her student, making sure her expression showed nothing. "He had a lot of bleeding. There was massive internal bleeding and also a pretty bad infection. There was some tearing and it put a lot of stress on the body. His body was weak, extremely weak and he flat lined three times before we could even get him to surgery. It wasn't looking good."

Tears filled her eyes and spilled over and she clutched her heart, feeling like the world was about to fall apart. She mentally tried to picture what life would be like without him. She couldn't.

He was her everything. Since she was little, she felt as if he was the only thing that mattered. And as she grew, the feeling became more intense. Gravity didn't hold her down on the earth. He did. His very presence in the world was the only thing anchoring her down.

He was her everything and there was no getting around that. She couldn't imagine every waking up again without the smell of his coffee lingering in the air. She couldn't imagine not being able to listen to his whispering in her ears when he thought she was asleep. Couldn't imagine not having his arms around her when she needed comfort or when she was happy about something. She couldn't imagine not having tripping over his clothes in the morning because he could never remember to throw them in the hamper when he was exhausted. Couldn't imagine not having another one of his babies in her womb. Couldn't imagine not having his toothbrush next to hers. Couldn't imagine raising their children without him.

Because without him, there was no her. If he died, she died.

"Tsunade, please," Sakura interrupted.

Tsunade eyed her for a moment, looking into her eyes deeply. "He's stable," she finally muttered and a weight lifted off the teen's shoulders.

Sakura smiled happily and gushed, nearly falling to her knees. Ino and Naruto gripped her before she collapsed. Tsunade helped them move her over to the chairs. She sat on the coffee table in front of the teen.

"I was able to control the bleeding and repair the damage. But he almost didn't make it. He crashed one more time during surgery and I tried my best but he just wasn't coming back. I had called it and was about to wrap up when his heart started beating again on it's own. After that glitch, things started working out.

"But I must warn you, he's not in good shape still. He's recovering, but I had to remove a part of the stomach and bowel because it was so infected that I couldn't save it. It was only small sections, so he will recover and live a relatively normal life but you have to watch his nutrition and food intake. He's going to struggle with it for, probably, the rest of his life."

Sakura nodded, her mind automatically taking in the information and filtering it through to a medical stand point. Her mind categorized the risks involved and the changes to his diet.

"Thank you, Tsunade! Thank you."

Tsunade smiled softly. "Anything for you. Now, they are taking him to his room right now, on the third floor. He's will probably be out cold for awhile but you are welcome to see him as soon as he's situated."

Sakura nodded and pulled her teacher into a hug, gushing and thanking her over and over again. Tsunade smiled and smoothed down her hair, quietly trying to calm her.

It was a long time before they pulled apart and Tsunade eyed the man next to her. Itachi stared back blankly and Tsunade sat up a little straighter, glaring. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for my brother to recover," he stated calmly.

Sakura squeezed the older blonde's hand, making her look at her. Sakura gave her a pleading look, obviously wanting Tsunade to give him a pass just this once. With her other hand, Sakura reached over and gripped Itachi's forearm, as if trying to protect him. Tsunade eyed her student, not having any idea that the two had much interaction in the past.

"You're just here for your brother?" she asked after a moment and Itachi nodded.

Sakura squeezed both hands tighter, feeling the tension in the air. Tsunade eyed Sakura's pleading look one more time before she glared halfheartedly at the older Uchiha again. "You can stay, just this once. But don't cause any trouble; don't make me regret this."

Itachi nodded slowly, betraying no emotion.

Tsunade nodded and slowly stood, feeling the exhaustion creeping up on her. She turned on her heel and spotted Kisame. She scowled and glanced quickly at Sakura. "Oh, look, another one. Joy," she muttered before giving Kisame a warning look. He flashed her a row of sharp teeth and she scowled, exiting the room.

xOx

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, feeling worn and beat. He groaned and then felt something squeeze his hand. With a lot of effort because his muscles were stiff and protested against the movement, he turned his head to see a blob of pink beside his head.

Under closer examination, he realized that it was Sakura. She was sitting in a chair next to his bed, sleeping. Her bent over, her head laying on her arm that resting on the edge of his head. Her other hand gripped his hand. He cleared his throat to speak and, even in her sleep, her body responded to him, gripping his hand tighter for a moment.

He smirked lightly and slowly reached over to run his hand through her hair. It was soft between his fingers and, even from the distance, he could smell the strawberry scent of her conditioner. He toyed with the strand softly, enjoying the moment.

Slowly, she stirred in her sleep. Sasuke paused his movements for a moment before continuing. She slowly sat up and unintentionally pulled her head from his reach. She patted her head for a moment, the sleep creating a fog over her. He smiled softly. "I didn't mean to wake you," he muttered softly, his voice hoarse.

She looked over to him and shook her head slowly. "No, it's fine," she muttered before looking away. A moment past before she snapped back with wide eyes. She stood quickly and got closer, running a hand over his cheek. "Sasuke! You're awake!"

He smiled. "Yeah, I am."

"How are you feeling?" she asked, her eyes running over his form, scanning him.

Sasuke shrugged, ignoring the pain the movement caused. "Fine," he said before she gave him a look. He sighed. "A little sore and tired," he admitted.

She nodded. "Well, that's to be expected. You had a pretty bad infection and internal bleeding. Tsunade was able to repair the damage but she had to removed a small section of your bowels and stomach."

Sasuke blinked, trying to comprehend what she just said. After a moment, he gave up, deciding that he will worry about it later when he wasn't to tired. At this moment, he had no hope to understand it.

He closed his eyes and tried to stretch but gasped when the movement caused a lot of pain in his abdomen. Sakura placed her hand over his chest. "Don't move, that's the reason you're in this mess. You have to recover fully before you even think of moving around. You may have gotten away with it in Suna, but not here."

Sasuke chuckled. "Yes, mom."

Sakura glared at him playfully and then leaned forward to kiss him. It was a deep kiss, intense and building. Sasuke responded quickly and reached up to grab the back of her head, locking her in place. She tried to be gentle with him, he noticed, but her control slipped as the kiss dragged on. Sasuke tried to sit up so he could get better leverage but gasped in pain again, effectively ending the kiss.

Sakura forced him back into a laying position, all the while scolding him. Sasuke nodded, deciding that it would be best to agree with her. After several minutes of scolding, her anger started to flare stronger. She got louder and more strained. Sasuke watched as tears suddenly welled up in her eyes in between calling him a 'stubborn-ass Uchiha brat' and a 'stupid-head perfectionist'.

After a moment, she seemed to run out of things to say and instead just stared at him angrily. Sasuke blinked and she angrily wiped away her tears. Slowly, he reached over and gently took her hand. "I love you," he muttered.

She turned her gaze to just over his shoulder. "I love you too," she muttered almost begrudgingly. Sasuke waited a moment. Slowly, she sat down on the edge of the bed, her eyes sad instead of angry. "I missed you," she whispered and he squeezed her hand. "Please, don't leave me like that ever again."

Sasuke ran his thumb comfortingly over her hand. "Life and death comes with the shinobi lifestyle," he reminded gently.

She stared at him with a hard look. "But you basically went on a suicide mission and then scared me half to death when you finally returned! Don't scare me like that ever again! I can't imagine not living in a world where you exist!"

Sasuke reached up with his other hand to gently stroke her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," he promised.

She sniffed and wiped away another tear. "Good," she huffed.

Sasuke smirked. "Kiss me," he commanded and she did so willingly.

xOx

After a few hours, Sasuke was able to convince Sakura to go home and get some rest. It wasn't easy, but he finally convinced her when he said that the kids should be at home sleeping. She agreed and had said that one of the girls could take them but Sasuke insisted that at least one of their parents be home with them. He got her to cave after a little arguing.

Sasuke saw a few people before the hospital staff kicked them out for the night. He saw all of the team- excluding Karin who was talking to Tsunade about being able to stay in the village-, his parents-in-laws, the girls, and the remaining Konoha 12.

After the hospital kicked everyone out, he very willingly went to bed. He was still tired from the mission and surgery and when they gave him a little pain medication, he got drowsy. He slept through the night easily.

When he finally awoke, the smell of flowers met his nose. His eyes fluttered open slowly and he had to blink and rub the sleep out of his eyes, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. Several vases of flowers filled his room, scattered around on almost ever flat surface the room offered. The flowers were bright and colorful and very floral smelling.

He eyed one of the nearest vases, reading the card. He didn't recognize the name of the family that sent them, but they were thanking him for his service. He glanced at another one, another name he didn't recognize. This one was also thanking him "from the bottom of my heart,"

The door opened slowly and a strange woman with a child next to her came in with a vase of flowers. She looked around for a place to put it and then met his eyes. She blushed. "Oh, I didn't realize that you were awake. The nurse told me that you would still be out for several more hours."

Sasuke blinked, raking his brain to see if he could remember a name or even recognize her face. Nothing. "They obviously don't know me here," he muttered and she eyed him curiously. "I hardly sleep," he explained absentmindedly, his mind going in vicious circles.

She didn't seem to know what to say and she stared down at the flowers in her hand for a moment. Then, as if just remembering, her head snapped up and she quickly strode across the room and handed him the flowers. "Here, these are for you. My family and I wanted to thank you for what you did for the village. We know if must have been hard and we are all truly grateful."

Sasuke kept his face carefully blank and stoic, not good with people. He nodded noncommittally and the woman and the child quickly excused themselves. He watched as she closed the door gently but quickly and then very comically smack herself on her forehead- unaware that he could see her through the window in the door- as if she had done something stupid.

He glanced down at the card. "Thank you for freeing us from the Sound Menace," it said.

A gentle knock sounded on the door and a nurse let herself in. "Good morning, Mr. Uchiha," she said. She eyed the flowers in his hand. "Would you like me to get that?"

Sasuke nodded and she took it, placing it across the room in an open place. She laughed. "We're running out of space here," she commented and Sasuke nodded. "Is there anything I can get you?" she asked.

"No, thank you," he muttered.

She nodded and excused herself, telling him that she was just a page away. She didn't get to close the door before Seto rushed through, screaming loudly. A smile spread across Sasuke's face and he quickly opened his arms as Seto climbed onto the bed. The boy hugged him as tightly as his little arms could.

"Seto, be careful with your father. He's still a bit fragile," he heard Sakura warn as she entered with Kai and Mikoto in a stroller.

Like a good, little boy, Seto loosened his grip and decided to cuddle with his father. He laid down on Sasuke's right side and Sasuke wrapped his arm around the boy. Sasuke looked over and Sakura was taking Mikoto out of the stroller. She lifted the girl into her arms and carried her over before depositing her on his left side. He kissed the little girl, who was grumpy and tired, before pulling Sakura into a good morning kiss.

Sakura smiled and pulled away, glancing around the room. She laughed. "Your room looks like our front porch."

"Yeah, what is all of this?"

Sakura smiled. "It looks like the villagers like you now and want to thank you and the family for killing Orochimaru. I could barely get out of the house this morning. I had to go out the back and go around. The girls are trying to clear a path now," she explained lightly.

Sasuke frowned. "But what if I had allergies? Did they even think of that?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Shut up," she comment while gently getting Kai out of the stroller. She sat in the chair next to the bed and Sasuke eyed their son in her arms.

They sat and talked for a few hours, the kids falling asleep while they talked. Sakura's stomach grumbled and Sasuke suggested she go grab something to eat. She agreed and she said she was just going to go down to the hospital cafeteria. She shifted Kai in her arms.

"Here, just give him to me," he suggested, holding his hands up but being careful not to disturb the two sleeping children tucked in his arms.

She slowly shook her head. "You have your hands full."

Sasuke frowned. "Trust me, I got this."

She hesitated and then gently passed over the sleeping baby. He squirmed and Sasuke gently cradled in his hands before gently laying him across his child. Kai squirmed for a moment and both young parents held their breaths and hoped that he wouldn't wake up. After a moment, the sleeping baby settled down, laying flat on his stomach across Sasuke's chest.

Sasuke smirked. "See, I got this."

Sakura rolled her eyes and leaned in to give him a kiss. "I'll be right back," she said before exiting the room.

Sasuke eyed all three of his kids, quietly amazed at how far he had come from being the angry kid with brother issues. He was a father of three beautiful children and the husband of the most beautiful woman in the world. Sasuke smiled, getting lost in his own bliss.

* * *

**You like? Well, probably going to wrap this up soon. Proably one or two more chapters. Please review.**


	46. Chapter 46

**Hello. Promsie that there will be no rambling. I just wanted to get this chapter up as soon as possible. I don't know when the next chapter will be put up. I may be going on vaction next week and then not long after that, the ugly school thing is going to reer its ugly head in my life again.**

**Editing sucks but you should be used to it by now. So enjoy.**

* * *

Through a lot of effort from the hospital staff, they were able to keep Sasuke for three weeks. Though he was up and moving around a few days after the surgery against orders, they made sure to keep him for at least three weeks to be sure he was good. However, almost his entire stay was a battle against the nurses and doctors.

Sasuke has always been the person to always be doing something. He works himself ragged and then passes out when he finally can't do anything more. So being told that he has to just sit there and be pretty for at least three weeks wasn't going to happen. Every chance he got, he was out of bed and up to something, whether it being wandering the halls or training.

Friends and family kept him entertained as much as they could. Sakura and the kids were there everyday and friends were always coming in and out. Naruto and Ino were almost always there and the two Hyugas were there often as well. Itachi and Kisame were there often as well before they left, having decided that they over stayed their welcome and knowing that they would have to get back to the Akatsuki.

However, since his return, he had two things to plan and occupy his thoughts. He and Neji had started up the planning for the Uchiha-Hyuga Police project again. And Tsunade, often coming by to check on him, was often looking over the plans and offering her full support. Sasuke knew that getting it past the council was going to be a hassle, knowing that they have a beef with him and his clan, but Tsunade's support helped.

The other thing to focus on was wedding plans. Since they had eloped, they didn't get to have the big traditional wedding that an Uchiha marriage called for. But now that he was back and not dying, Mrs. Haruno was very adamant that they should have a traditional wedding. So the wedding plans were back on for the spring and they now had less time than before to plan the wedding.

He was only partly involved in the planning. Sakura, her mother and then girls set up a little station in his room and went back and forth with all sorts of samples of a variety of sorts of things. They would ask his opinion on something and he would throw out a random answer, because most of the time he couldn't tell the difference between the things they showed him, and then they would consider it when choosing. Most of the time, they picked something other than what he picked but he didn't really care.

For the most part, he just held Sakura's hand and watched them plan the wedding.

Sasuke held Kai to his chest and eyed the small boy in wonder. The boy was staring up at him and Sasuke was smiling lightly at him. He stroked his soft head of hair and the boy made a cooing sound before his lips pulled up to reveal a toothless smile.

Sasuke felt his heart melt. It was Kai first smile and he was the one to witness it.

The girls were sitting around the small table they had moved into the room, planning. Sasuke, unconsciously, let out a cooing noise and it immediately sparked their attention. And yes, it was a very small cooing noise that he made, but still, it was the Sasuke Uchiha they were talking about. A cooing noise coming from him of all people meant something cute to an extreme happened.

Sakura was the first to their side. She leaned in and spotted the gummy smile the small boy was giving and melted as well. Sasuke absentmindedly shifted over in the bed and Sakura crawled into the small space available. She leaned against his arm to get a better view, practically smashed against the older Uchiha's side.

"Oh, he's smiling!" she exclaimed and the girls rushed over to view the smile as well.

They were all cooing happily when Tsunade entered the room. After a moments pause, she joined them for only a moment. But quickly composing herself, she handed Sakura a clipboard. "Discharge papers for your stupid husband. Also, since you're here still and we don't want you to have to came back in a few days, I want to do your checkup before you guys leave," she said Sakura but Sasuke was listening carefully.

"Checkup?" he asked.

Sakura rubbed his shoulder. "Yeah, you check how I'm doing after the birth," she explained very lightly.

"Um, okay?"

She smiled. "Don't worry about it, babe, it's just procedure."

Sakura filled out the papers and Sasuke was officially discharged. The girls took all of the personal items in the room home while Ino went to go pick up Seto from daycare. Both Sasuke and Sakura took the remaining kids to one of the examination rooms and waited for Tsunade. Sasuke sat in the chair next to the bed, reveling in the feeling of being the one in the chair while she was in the examination table. Sasuke held Kai in his arms while Mikoto sat at his feet, toying with the fabric of his pants.

Tsunade joined them shortly and began the examination. Sasuke watched as Tsunade did several things. Tsunade explained, more for his benefit rather than Sakura's because she was a doctor herself and knew everything already, that she needed to see how she was faring-both emotionally and physically-after the pregnancy, the labor, Sasuke's medical scare, and becoming a new parent.

She also checked Sakura for any tears, scratches, or bruises that may have occurred during labor. Sasuke blushed and looked away while Tsunade preformed a pelvic exam. Sakura glanced over and laughed. Tsunade looked over as well and couldn't help laughing at the teen either. "What? It's nothing you haven't seen before?"

Sasuke blush deepened, as well as the girls' amusement.

After doing a few more tests, Tsunade pulled away and cleaned up. "Well, everything looks good. You seem to have healed up very nicely and almost blissfully happy compared to other new moms. But I want to discuss some things before you leave," she said while sitting down.

Sakura sat up and gestured for one of the kids. Sasuke passed over Kai and then pulled Mikoto into his arms. The girl squealed happily, loving every bit of attention her daddy gave her. She was already shaping up to be a Daddy's girl.

"Although you haven't gotten your normal period back yet and you are breastfeeding, it is still possible to get pregnant. Now, at this point, it is safe for you two to start having sex again. And although Sakura hadn't felt it necessary to take it before," she said, gesturing to the child in her arms, "you can be prescribed a birth control. I'll leave it to you two to discuss whether or not you want that. You can talk to me about any questions at any time," she said before saying her goodbyes and leaving the two.

Sakura dressed quickly and filled out another piece of paperwork before they could leave. They walked home calmly, each holding a child, and tried to ignore all the stares. Everyone once and awhile, a person would thank them again or offer a bow and they would try to respond as politely as they could. It was a relief when they finally made it home.

And although Sasuke loved being home for the first time in months, having left the very end of August and it now being the middle of December, near Christmas and Seto's birthday, he began to realize that the house had changed in his absence.

The first change was that the girls were still living there and would still be living with them for awhile longer because their leases on their apartments had ended. Hinata and Tenten had shared an apartment together while Ino was part-time living at home and at the Uchiha Compound. And during Sasuke's absence, the apartment's lease ended and now the two girls were looking for a new one. And Ino was planning on staying there still for a while longer, though it peeved Sasuke (pert of her reasoning) and she was with a married couple.

Another change, it was child central. Though it was still clean, toys had found its way into almost every room. When Sasuke went into the kitchen, the cabinets were filled kid meals, formula, and so much more. Opening the fridge, he found several bottles clearly labeled 'BREAST MILK: DO NOT DRINK', taking up almost an entire shelf.

And he also began to realize that some kids tended to stick with one parent. Seto, he soon began to observe, was already a Momma's boy, and was constantly by her side. Mikoto was becoming a Daddy's girl, always going out of her way to get his attention and just being overjoyed when he showed her some love. And although she was starting to learn to stand, she screamed when he put her down.

And Kai, he soon realized, although didn't care how held him, was more difficult for Sasuke to understand. Sasuke was not good with babies at the beginning. He had no clue what to do and it seemed even worse with Kai. Sakura had him for the most part. She had already spent five full weeks with him and had carried him, so she was more attuned to him. She noticed little things that meant certain things.

She already knew him and had a bond with him. Sasuke spent the best part of his hospital stay with Mikoto rather than Kai. He was more attuned to the girl than he was to the boy. When he was with Kai, he wasn't able to figure out when he was hunger, or tired, or uncomfortable, or whatever. When he had the boy, he often had to go to Sakura to know what he wanted.

It was late when Sasuke finally made it into the bedroom. He sighed and plopped ungracefully into the bed, exhausted and suddenly very aware how comfy and soft the bed was. It smelled like Sakura, his own scent having disappeared in his absence. He closed his eyes and tried to rest.

The door opened but he didn't bother moving. A moment later the door closed and Sasuke felt the bed shift a moment later. Keep his eyes closed, he felt hands run the length of his abdomen up to his shoulders. There was a whoosh of air and he felt someone plop down next to him, their sender arms loosely wrapped around his neck.

"How was your first day back? You didn't seem to rest at all like Tsunade had suggested."

Sasuke smiled and opened his eyes and gently kissed his wife's forehead. "It was fine. I'm fine," he assured.

She snuggled closer to him. "Hey, do you want to talk about how you kept running to my help today?"

Sasuke groaned and she propped herself onto her elbows to examine him. She raised an eyebrow. "You're great with kids, but you just seemed so lost today. Are you okay?"

He rubbed his eyes. "I'm fine," he tried to reassure her again.

"But something is bothering you."

"Love, I'm fine."

Sakura scowled, not fooled in the least. She knew him better than he knew himself sometimes. She was able to tell when something was bothering him, something that hardly anyone could do. Uchihas pride themselves on being carefully emotionless and in prefect control. She, however, had spent enough time with him that she was able to see past his act.

"Sasuke Uchiha, you are not fooling anyone, least of all your own wife."

It took a lot of badgering on Sakura's part, but she finally got him to spill. He sighed, then slowly, unwilling to admit it, he spoke. "I'm just having trouble understanding him."

Sakura stared at him with a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know what his movements mean. You and the girls know what it means when he rubs his eyes or make a certain noise and I'm just lost." He kept his gaze away from her searching gaze.

She reached over and caressed his cheek. "Babe, it's only your first day at home. The girls and I have been with him from the start. You are just getting to know him. In time, you will bond with him and know what each noise means or what each movement conveys. Just give it time. You aren't going to get it right a way."

Sasuke sighed and pulled her down with him. He kissed her deeply, letting her know that he was thankful for her presence. She pulled away from him and he groaned a little. "Hey, we need to talk about what Tsunade said today."

"What did she say again?" he asked, a confused expression on his face.

She rolled her eyes. "About the birth control."

Sasuke blinked. "Oh, yeah, that. Well, what do you think about it?"

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know, I sort of want your take on it. I mean, I'm love kids and I don't mind the thought of having another kid but I'm not sure if you think it's too soon after Kai to even think about it again."

Sasuke shrugged. "Well, it has only been five weeks. It's still early to think about it but, I don't know, I don't mind either. I like the idea of a big family since, well, I haven't had one in so long."

Sakura sat up and straddled his hips. Running his hands over the planes of his chest, she spoke. "So, birth control or no birth control?"

She unbuttoned the front of his shirt and exposed his bare chest. She continued to trace the contours of his chest and paused at the ugly scar he had at the bottom of his ribs on the left side, next to his abs. It was where the blade came out, she realized. She eyed the series of healing marks next to it, where Tsunade and the other doctors had went in for his surgeries. They were cleaner looking than the blade scar, but still pretty bad.

Sasuke shrugged again. "I don't know. I really don't mind either way. We are married now. If we want to have sex, it doesn't matter any more. If we have a kid as a result, well then that's great. If we don't, at least we had fun."

Sakura tore her eyes away from the scars and smiled. "Sounds like you are leaning more towards the no birth control."

A smirk danced across his lips. "The way I figure it, we can use a condom if we really care about it. I mean, we haven't always been a walking condom ad but we can start if it really comes down to it."

"Condoms aren't always foolproof, though," she reminded gently.

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm willing to take the chance," he said and then smiled mischievously. "I mean, what's the worse that can happen?"

Sakura smiled, mentally noting that people aren't supposed to say that-especially in horror movies- because as soon as you do, the worse happens. She bent down and kissed his scar, before moving upward. "I could get pregnant again," she muttered against his skin.

His back arched and she could feel his excitement building beneath her. It took several moments, as Sakura made a scorching trail all over his body, to collect his thoughts. "And is that such bad a thing?"

She giggled. "No, I suppose it's not," she laughed before Sasuke reached over and gripped the back of her head, pulling her towards him gently. And although his touch was gentle, his kiss was anything but. She responded eagerly. They pulled away when their lungs felt as if were about to burst.

"I've missed you," Sakura whispered breathlessly. "I've missed this," she said then pulled him closer.

"I've missed you too," he whispered as he gently caressed her cheek. Very serious and gentle, they leaned forward and let their lips met. The kiss was slow, gentle, but building and soon they were passionately expressing their love for one another. They broke apart and breathed heavily.

Slowly, Sakura gripped the fabric of his shirt and slide it down until it was free from his body. Sasuke was still for the most part, allowing her to move him whatever way she liked it. She gently pushed him down and removed her first shirt so that she was in a tank top.

She crawled on top of him, kissing him gently. Her hair fell forward and fluttered across his bare skin, tickling him. He chuckled against her lips. "Getting started already, I see," he chuckled.

She smiled against his lips. "I suppose so."

xOx

Sakura was still sleeping when he awoke. He could hear some muffled noises through the baby monitor and he knew Kai was awake now. He wasn't screaming yet but he could hear that he was working himself up to it.

He crawled out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweats quickly, deciding that he didn't want to waste time getting underwear, before quietly rushing out the door and down the hall. Kai was about to start wailing when he entered and proceeded to fuss even while Sasuke held him. Sasuke checked his diaper, but it was clean.

Sasuke frowned and made his way down to the kitchen. He heat up a bottle of the breast milk in the fridge and tested the temperature of it on his wrist before lowering it to the infant. The infant immediately started eating it up and Sasuke sighed in relief, having been able to figure out what the young child wanted.

With his hands full, he stared longingly at the coffee machine, wishing that something was brewing. Sasuke yawned and turned to stare out the backdoor at the sight of the backyard bathed in the morning raising sun light.

"Well, this is a familiar sight. I've missed it," Sakura's familiar voice said from behind him and he turned to see her clad in a robe, walking to the coffee machine. She prepared a brew and then moved over to wrap her arms around her husband's waist. She eyed the child in his arms, eagerly sucking on the nipple of the bottle. "There's my baby," she said and Sasuke chuckled.

"I wasn't gone long. I didn't think you would miss me so much," he said in a mocking tone.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I was talking about Kai."

"Oh, well maybe you should specified next time," he retorted jokingly.

"I'll make note of it," she muttered and then kissed her bare shoulder and moved over to the fridge. She poured herself a glass of orange juice and then moved to pour Sasuke a cup of coffee. She walked over to him and lifted the cup up so that he could take a sip, seeing as his hands were full.

"Oh, such service," he muttered.

She smiled. "Want me to take him?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I got this. Plus, it's bonding time."

She gave him a good morning kiss and moved over to the table, sitting down with her juice. They didn't have much time along before all three girls entered the kitchen, momentarily pausing in the doorway when they spotted Sasuke.

"Well, that's going to take some getting used to," Tenten laughed. She had lived for years with Hinata and then with the girls. Living with Sasuke now, a man, was different.

Ino eyed him. His sweats were dangerously low on his hips and the blonde spotted some dark ink. She smiled suspiciously. "Is that ink I spy?"

Sasuke quickly moved close to Sakura, using her as a shield from prying eyes. Sakura, not news to her because she obviously knew his body pretty well, turned and calmly adjusted the sweats.

Ino sat herself at the table. "It looked like kanji. What does it say?"

Hinata sat down next to where Sasuke stood. She turned to look at him, eyeing the scars. Sakura caught her stare and stared at it as well, feeling weird about the marks. They would always remind her of how Sasuke almost died. Hinata was frowning as well and Sakura briefly wondered where her thoughts were.

Sakura reached her arms out and gestured for her baby. Sasuke passed him over gently and then Sasuke headed upstairs to dress.

The day was spent in an easy manner. The girls spent the day planning the wedding when Mrs. and Mr. Haruno arrived shortly after breakfast. The girls sat at the table with Seto in the seat next to his momma while the two men spent the day in the living room mainly. Mikoto was always by Sasuke side while Kai switched from being with the girls and being with the boys.

Sasuke watched as his father-in-law play with Kai and noticed that even he had a bond with the child. He was hesitant, but he asked for advise on how to bond with him. Mr. Haruno was very kind. "Just relax, you're good with kids. Spend time with him, like holding him and playing with him, whenever you can because it will help him get to know you and vise versa. Trust your instincts. You are probably going to do things differently than Sakura, but that's okay."

Sasuke nodded and was then passed little Kai. The boy screamed bloody murder and the young parent could do nothing to appease him. Sakura came running over and took him, much to Sasuke's disappointment. His father-in-law pat him on shoulder. "You'll get your chance. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks, Mr. Haruno."

"You can call me Dad, if you would like. I would understand if it is too hard for you to do that-I'm not trying to be your real father- but you can if you want."

Sasuke was silent for a moment and before smiling softly. "Thanks, Dad."

xOx

Sasuke and Sakura lay in bed. She was sleeping peacefully while he lie awake. He glanced at the baby monitor when he heard Kai making noises. With a deep breath, he stood and pulled on a pair of sweats before soundlessly exiting the room. He went down stairs and silently heat up a bottle for his son.

When he was done, he quickly joined the boy before he could start screaming. Sasuke kept the lights off and opened the blinds so the moonlight could shine in and reveal the nursery. He cradled the fussy child in his arms while he sat down in the rocking chair. Kai stared up at him with wide eyes and stared at his father.

Long after the bottle was empty, Kai stared up at the teen while said teen talked nonsense to him, giving him advise about life and how not to make the same mistakes it did.

"Though I really do not see another Uchiha Massacre occurring in the near future, some of my mistakes still apply. Like, if you like a girl, don't run off to another village with a creepy guy. It may not end up as well as I did for me and trust me, you will regret it later for one reason or another.

"And don't give away your kisses too willingly. Save your first kiss for someone special. I happen to have lost mine to a stupid mishap with your Uncle Naruto. It was very gross and, I will admit, scarred me a little on the inside. There is not a day that goes by that I do not wish that my first kiss had been with your Mommy. It would have been much better, I would bet my life."

Sakura awoke to the sound of Sasuke's voice. She glanced around the room and noticed that he wasn't there. With a puzzled look on her face, she looked around and noticed that his voice was coming through the baby monitor on the night stand. She couldn't help but smile as she listened.

"Your Mommy and I were teammates on team seven with Naruto and Kakashi. And although I would not admit it, I feel for your Mommy really hard. But it would be years before we could be together and happy, because of a series of very bad decisions on my part."

There was a pause and Sakura listened intently. Sasuke started speaking again slowly. "This is strange for me. Months ago I thought I would only have your brother and sister as children and now here you are. A year ago I would have never thought I would find someone to make me happy like your Mommy does. A few years ago I would never thought that I would ever be happy again. And yet, here we are. I'm holding you and you are slowly falling asleep in my arms.

"I never thought that someone could be so small or just so perfect. You don't seem to know me very well yet but I promise that I will always be by your side when you need me. I'm going to be the best father I can be. If you ever need me, I'll be there. I promise."

Sakura smiled and fell asleep to the sound of her husband singing their son to sleep softly. Her last thought before falling asleep was that she was so lucky to have him in her life, her pillar of strength. And now he would be the strength in their children's lives. And with a smile, she realized that Sasuke was bonding nicely with their son.

* * *

**So, what do you think? I know, not my best. But hey, i try.**

**Also, i mentioned a tattoo on Sasuke's hip. Well, i haven't gotten around to fixing it but i'm in the middle of editing. In an edited chapter, i mention the tattoo but, since i haven't put it yet, you don't know about it. Sorry for the inconvienence.**


	47. Epilogue

**Well, hello my dear friends. I have here the final installment of Who's back. Yup. The last chapter. It's been a hell of a ride and i want to thank everyone who has stuck by me and this story for the nearly three years that i have been writting this. Thank you all so much for the support.**

**This chapter is a chapter to pull together loose ends. The whole Karin business, the Keiko writer thing, the Mrs. Haruno stealing Sasuke's pictures. All that.**

**Thank you all for the reviews. It means the world to me , truly, it does. I know i say that all the time, almost every chapter, but it's true.**

* * *

A few months had passed and she had been avoiding him. It was now late March, and she knew that she had to see him. She had been hiding out since they returned, and she felt bad for doing so. She hadn't gone down to the hospital at all while he was hurt and she regretted it every day now.

She was hurt and still angry, but she needed to talk to him. Maybe it was irrational, but she still felt something for him, and she needed to see him. She needed to see that he wasn't happy there. She needed to see that she could come in and make his life brighter. She needed him.

She gently knocked on the door and then wondered if she should have knocked louder. She raised her hand to knock again, when the door opened. Already in motion, her fist came in contact with a toned chest. She looked up with a blush and her eyes met Sasuke's.

Her hand still on his chest, she gently pat it. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to . ." she trailed off.

He waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry," he said with a small smile. "It has happened before," he said, remembering the day that Sakura moved in. She knocked too and he had opened the door too quickly and she ended up knocking on his chest.

She hesitated and Sasuke moved aside so she could enter. She entered and removed her shoes, looking around the nice looking house. It had a homey feel to it, she noticed, and she could see herself there.

He lead her to the living room. She quietly sat down while he went to the baby swing and pressed the button so it began to swing. Karin eyed the beautiful baby inside, who seemed to be calmed by the movement.

He looked at a lot like Sasuke, she noticed. She studied him, trying to pick out each feature that she recognized as Sasuke's. The nose, and lips for sure. He had the same dark hair, though his was tinted a different color, more reddish. She assumed that was because his wife was a pinkette. And his eyes were a very dark green, unlike Sasuke's obsidian eyes. His wife had green eyes, she remembered. It bugged her to see these features of her. She recognized the dark feeling that coursed through her as jealousy. She had become very familiar with it in resent months.

She looked up at Sasuke, who was watching the boy. His expression was blank, but there was this strange adoring, almost worshiping look in his eyes. Karin wanted nothing more than for him to look at her that way.

She tried to put on an innocent look. "Is your wife here?"

He looked up at her and shook his head. "No, she works at the hospital part-time. She just returned after maternity leave."

"How noble," she said in a tone that was almost mocking. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her and she put on a innocent look.

Before they could say anymore, the sound of the front door opening closing greeted their ears. There was some shuffling noises and then Ino was seen, poking her head into the kitchen before moving on into the living room. She spotted Sasuke in the armchair and marched over, carrying several large clothes bag.

She held up the bags. "I dropped by the wedding shop and picked up Sakura' s kimono, the brides maid's kimonos, and, since I was feeling very generous, I even grabbed your kimono. And I have to say, I couldn't resist taking a peek, that you picked a very nice kimono."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, thanks, I think, for both picking it up for me and complimenting it. Just promise not to show Sakura. We made a deal that we didn't want to see each other's wedding kimonos until the ceremony."

Karin eyed him strangely. She was under the impression that he was already married and now it sounded like he wasn't. It sounded like he was getting married soon. Which meant she still had a chance that didn't involve a divorce.

Sasuke noticed her expression but didn't get to say anything before Ino spoke. She turned, having not acknowledged that Karin was sitting there, and started for the door. "Oh, believe me, I already know about the deal. I think it's cute. I'm going to put both of your garments in the closet. Do not peek at Sakura's, it's clearly marked," she said before disappearing from view.

Karin looked at him and he rubbed the back of his head. "Sakura and I eloped before. We had started planning the wedding, but the whole Orochimaru thing happened and we eloped. Now we are having a second wedding, the big grand thing that my mother and all the girls planned."

"Your mother? I thought she was . . ." she trailed off in a meek tone, afraid it might be a touchy subject.

Sasuke looked at Kai, checking to see how he was. Nearly asleep, thankfully. "I meant my mother-in-law. She's the only mother I have now, so I don't really specify that she is my mother-in-law," he explained lightly.

She nodded, though she didn't really feel too happy about what she had learned. A silence lingered between them.

"So, what brings you here?" Sasuke asked, trying to be kind and civil. The many weeks that had past since there fight had cooled him down. He just wanted them to get this whole thing over with because he had other things to worry about than a petty fight with a comrade.

She tried to smile. "I just wanted to talk to you, smooth things over. The fight we had was stupid and I just want the whole thing behind us. I don't like not being able to be near you just because we said some things when we were mad."

Sasuke nodded but wasn't able to say anything as Mikoto suddenly came charging into the room. Now sixteen months old, she had the running and walking thing down pact and was currently learning how to jump. She ran straight to her father and a breath taking smile spread across his face when he saw her. She made two failed attempts at jumping into his arms before she started to get upset and Sasuke had to pick her up.

He kissed her forehead. She gave a big smile. "NO!" she yelled, though the teen already knew not to take it too close to heart. In recent weeks, 'no' has become her favorite word. She said it whenever she could.

"No?" Sasuke teased and then kissed her again. He smiled softly and glanced at Karin, who was watching him in wonder. She had never seen him smile like that. The smile slipped to a smirk. "She's a Daddy's girl," he explained.

The sound of the front door opening filled their ears and then the sounds of shuffling. A moment later, a squeal met their ears. Sasuke put Mikoto down and quickly made his way towards the hallway. He found Sakura standing there, a open package tucked under her arm and a letter in her hand. She looked up and met Sasuke's wondering eyes. "You aren't going to believe this!" she exclaimed and then pushed the letter into his hand.

"What?" he asked while she rummaged through the box for a moment before pulling out a book. It was a manuscript, it consisting of a title page, the book part, and then a flimsy back cover. The binding was cheap, he noticed.

"Read," she instructed while she flipped through the strange book.

He looked down at the letter in his hands. It was a letter addressed to Sakura from Keiko, Sakura's cousin. He remembered her from the family picnic that he and Sakura where forced to go to. She was a writer, he remembered. She and Sakura had been writing to each other none stop since the picnic.

_My cousin Sakura,_

_I'm glad to hear that you and Sasuke are adjusting to parenthood easily. And I'm glad to hear that you two newlyweds are adjusting to married life easily as well. It's comforting to know, though I know that if you two were to struggle, you would make it through. You two are meant for one another. You two have gone through so much that caring for three kids would not be the death of you two._

_But since we are on the topic of your love and all that you had to go through, I guess I'll tell you about what's going on in my life. There isn't really much to report, my life isn't as exciting as yours. The family are all good and send their love. I guess the only thing to mention is that I finished another project. My inspiration: you and Sasuke._

_Remember how we went over to your house after the picnic and we talked. I took a lot of notes and I was so touched, and caught up in the intricate love story that you wove, that I had to write it down. It was jus a goof at first, something to practice my writing skills, but I showed my editor my rough draft and he loved it. We did some editing, and suddenly we had a manuscript._

_You have the first copy. I leave it fully up to you and Sasuke to decide whether or not you want it published. If not, I fully understand and you get a pretty little manuscript to keep. Think of it as a wedding gift. If yes, well then you have the honor of knowing that millions of women around the world will forever be jealous of the love you share with Sasuke. That you were able to get someone as truly beautiful as him already makes a lot of people jealous, but once they know the truth about the two of you, you will be forever the envy of all women. Can you imagine? People will say that they want a love like Romeo and Juliet, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, and Sasuke and Sakura. The world will never be the same._

_Ultimately, the decision is yours. Either way, enjoy the book. I put a lot of hard work into it and, though I don't mean to brag, I think it's my best work yet. I will warn you though, some of it is a little embellished. I wasn't there, after all so I had to imagine. I'm deeply looking forward to seeing you and Sasuke for the wedding. It won't be long now. April first is right around the corner. The family and I will see you in a few days. I can't wait to help you get ready for your wedding. Well, I must get going. Send all my love to the kids and Sasuke. I'll see you soon._

_Love, Keiko_

Sasuke blinked and looked up at his wife. She was happily flipping through the pages. She looked up at him with bright, sparkling, excited eyes and then quickly dropped the empty box in her hands and wrapped her arms around his neck. He was briefly aware of the fact that the manuscript smacked against his back, it still held in her hand, as Sakura's lips smashed onto his.

She kissed him deeply, before running her tongue along his bottom lip, asking for entrance. He willingly allowed her in as she brought one of her legs up to wrap around his waist. He gripped her thighs as she brought the other one up, allowing herself to be lifted off the ground. Their tongues danced and mixed in their mouths in such a way that made each not want to ever pull away.

Karin still sat on the living room couch. She watched as Sasuke got up and let someone in the hall. She heard their brief conversation clearly and she turned to look when things went quiet. He was reading something, and she was out of her line of view so Karin could only imagine what she was doing.

Sasuke read the letter quickly and then he looked up. Not a moment later, the girl stepped into her line of view and Karin felt her stomach sink as they, well, _attacked_, each other. There was no denying it. Karin disliked her so much from the very beginning. As soon as she found out about her, she held a strong dislike in his heart. But now, in this moment, she _hated_ her. She really hated her.

Ino came down the stairs and groaned. "Oh, come on! Why is it that I'm the only one who ever walks in as you two are having one of your moments! We all know that you two love each other, but seriously!"

Sasuke pulled away but kept Sakura in his arms. "Shut up. His is my house and I will kiss my wife wherever and whenever I wish."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fully aware that this is your house. But seriously, with the amount of people that come walking in and out of this house at all times, you would think that you would be more subtle about where you have your moments."

Before Sasuke could retort, Sakura gripped his chin and pulled his lips to hers. A muffled shock noise slipped out of his mouth and then he kissed her back. But as he was getting into the kiss, she pulled away. She gave him several chaste kisses, though he kept trying for more, before she started to detangle herself from him. He groaned and she pressed her finger to his lips, silencing him. "Later," she promised.

"I'm going to hold you to that," he muttered, giving her his own chaste kiss before fully releasing her.

She winked at him and then went to Ino. "Look at what my cousin wrote!" she exclaimed.

The blonde eyed the cheap binded book and gently took it from her friend's hands. She flipped through the pages. "Judging from how excited you are, I'm guessing it's a love story, you love love stories."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah but not any love story. It the story of me and Sasuke's love!" she exclaimed.

Ino blinked and then eyed the book in her hand. "Huh? Well, that's really something. That's really impressive," she said, walking towards the kitchen, her arm linked with Sakura's.

"I know!" Sakura said as she disappeared from Sasuke's view.

He shook his head and then turned to look back at Kai and Mikoto in the living room. He scanned them, seeing that they were both okay, but then froze when he spotted Karin staring back at him. He blinked, mentally cursing for letting himself forget about her.

He slowly made his way back over to her and offered a sheepish smirk. "Sorry about that," he muttered and she nodded robotically.

There was a long moment before she spoke. "You're really happy, aren't you?"

He blinked in surprise and then nodded. "Yeah," he said without hesitation.

She was silent, her head down. She couldn't deny it any longer. She saw how he smiled when he held his daughter, the adoring look he had for his son and she couldn't deny that he loved her. Everything about him glowed like only a man truly in love could.

She knew she couldn't lie to herself anymore. He loved her. He truly, deeply, irrevocably, and incandescently loved _her_. He was a married man, a loving husband, and a damn good father. He was a strong man, a shinobi that had defied death six times in one month, kissing death right on the lips each time before turning back and pulling through. And he did this for his family, for _her_. So his children could grow up with a father, and _she_ wouldn't have to try to survive without him.

Karin knew she was fooling herself. He was a different person now. He was _hers_.

A tear fell and she looked up with a sad smile. "I'm happy for you. I hope that we can be friends from now on."

He blinked as she sniffed and wiped away her tears, though more took their place. He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'd like that," he muttered.

She laughed, choking on a sob and tried to offer a bigger smile. They were silent for a moment and she frowned, wiping away tears from her cheeks. "Well, I'm glad we worked this out. Well, I have got to be going. I have to go shopping for things for my apartment. I only have the very basics and it looks so empty that it is driving me crazy," she said, rambling and stuttering.

He rose with her and walked her to the door. He sat down at the little step by the door and put her shoes on. Sasuke leaned against the wall the entire time, and after putting on her shoes, she sat for a moment, wiping away tears and trying to collect herself. She stood after a moment and offered a weak smile.

He stared down at her face and then weak smile fell. She looked down and she choked on another sob before leaning forward, wrapping her arms around his torso. She buried her face into his chest and cried, and he gently put an arm around her.

Sakura and Ino heard crying and looked at one another. They got up, following the noise and stopping, their heads peeking out around the corner to see the source of the noise. Sasuke and some girl that neither recognized, who was crying into his chest. Shock and confusion were their first emotions.

Sasuke glanced over at them, blinking calmly. He was uncomfortable, and it clearly showed, but he knew that he couldn't pull away or else it would crush her and he was tired of making mistakes and hurting people. He gave Sakura a pleading look, silently begging her not to take what she was seeing the wrong way.

She stared at him and then at the red headed girl that was completely oblivious to them. She couldn't help but feel uncertain about her, but because Sasuke was giving her that look, she fought it. She did, however, gave him a look that demanded an explanation later. He nodded and Sakura pulled Ino away.

Sasuke let out a soft sigh and Karin finally pulled herself together. She let go and then wiped her face. "I'm sorry about that," she muttered and gave him a stronger smile. "I'll see you soon," she said and he nodded. He opened the door for her and she took a deep breath, hoping for a new path in life.

xOx

A few days have past since the visit. Sasuke explained and Sakura was okay with it. She wasn't too happy that she was in love with her husband, but she was grateful that she was able to help the boys find Orochimaru. She was grateful enough to let the whole crying-into-the-chest-of-her-husband-while-madly-in-love-with-him thing go.

They know were preparing for the wedding. They were doing some last minute preparations and also preparing for the wedding rehearsal. The wedding party and important family members were all meeting at the Uchiha Compound and then moving over to a restaurant for the dinner.

Sakura was standing in the bathroom, curling her hair at the sink. Her make-up was done expertly, but simply. She wore a new red dress. It was form fitting around her bodice, and then flared out delicately at her waist, with a black sash around the waist. It was strapless and knee-length.

Sasuke walked into the bathroom behind her, grabbing his cologne. He was wearing black pants and a dark navy blue button up shirt. It was one of his nicer ones. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his scarred forearms.

He stopped, eyeing her up and down before wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "You look beautiful," he said, kissing her shoulder.

She giggled and put down the hair curler. "You shouldn't do that. I could burn you or myself," she warned.

"Well we wouldn't want that," he said before kissing her neck and pulling away. He headed out as Sakura finished her hair. When she was done, she pulled on a pair of red heels and headed downstairs.

Most of the Konoha 12 were already there, sitting in the living room. Her parents were with them, along with the sensei's, and Mai, and arriving in an hour or so were her aunt and uncle with her cousins. They would miss the actual rehearsal but they would make it in time for the dinner. When Sakura entered, Naruto let out a slow whistle. "Damn, Sakura," he drawled. "You look good."

Sakura blushed and tucked some hair behind her ear. "Thank you."

They waited for awhile longer, waiting for the final members to join them. When they did, they all moved over to the Uchiha Garden, where the ceremony would be. They had some of the chairs set up already and an archway set up in front of the koi pond where they would stand. The wedding party was decided. The maid of honor was Ino, of course, and the bride's maids were Hinata and Tenten. The best man was Naruto and then best men were Neji and Shikamaru.

Mr. Haruno was giving her way. Sasuke was going to stand at the alter while the rest of the wedding party waited with Sakura. Mikoto was going to be the flower girl, with Mai helping her walk down the isle. Seto was the ring barrier. And the couple had talked to Tsunade and requested that Itachi be allowed into the village for the wedding. She was reluctant, but finally agreed when Sasuke said that he was his only family and he wanted him to represent his side of the family. That, and a very pleading look from Sakura.

The entrance was going to be a grand thing. Sasuke was going to be the only one up there until they all come in. Hinata and Shikamaru were going to enter first, right after Mikoto and Mai, followed by Neji and Tenten. Following them were going to be the maid of honor and the best man. Then finally, as the whole bridal party was now at the front with Sasuke, Sakura and her father would enter.

The ceremony was going to be traditional, combining ancient Uchiha traditions and modern wedding practices. It wasn't going to be really long and then they were going to move the wedding to another part of the Uchiha Garden where they had it all set up for the reception.

The guest list included friends and family, though obviously most was Sakura's. Also, since it was the first Uchiha marriage since the massacre and it was a sign of the Uchiha Clan finally coming back, nobles and other very important people from every nation were attending. They were going to be seated on the groom's side, where his family was supposed to be seated.

They ran through the whole wedding ceremony quickly before they moved onto the restaurant. Sakura's aunt and family met them at the restaurant and then all enjoyed a dinner for intimate friends and family. Tsunade drank and both Shizune and Sakura had to start monitoring her after only a half hour there so that she wouldn't be totally hung over at the wedding.

Sakura pulled Keiko into a hug. "Thank you so much for writing that book. I'm just so touched. We both are," she said, gesturing to Sasuke who was currently arguing with Naruto with Mikoto in his lap.

Keiko smiled. "No problem. It was fun working on it."

Sakura kept her stare on Sasuke, watching the lively expression on his face, something she could never have dreamed of when they were younger. "And Sasuke and I discussed it and we decided that we wanted you to publish it. It could give your career a boost, and that was the main factor that decided it, and after all your hard work, more people deserve to read it than just us and your editor," she said and then with a coy smile added; "And hey, I want to be up there with Juliet and Elizabeth Bennet."

Keiko smiled and hugged her cousin tightly. "I'm glad! I think the world deserves to know about you two!"

Sakura laughed. "Me and Sasuke started reading it the day we received it. We only have time to read it at night, and by then we are so tired so we only read like a chapter a night, but it's unbelievably good."

"I'm glad you like it," she said, hugging her cousin again.

xOx

Sakura went home with her parents that night. She stayed in her old bedroom, while her aunt and other family were at a hotel. Sasuke went home with the kids and Naruto went back with him as well.

When Sakura woke up, her parents cooked her dinner and then they took her back to the Uchiha Compound. By the time they arrived, the boys were already in a neighboring Uchiha House. The girls went to the bedroom while Mr. Haruno joined the boys.

Sakura was sitting down in a comfortable chair with Ino was standing behind her, gently tugging at her hair. She was in a comfortable robe, eating carrot sticks and taking to the girls. Her mother came in with a white bag, an odd expression on her face. Sakura eyed her with a puzzled, suspicious look. "What do you have, Mom?"

"A gift," she said, gently handing it to her.

Sakura blinked and down at the bag. She slowly removed the tissue paper at the top of the bag and lifted a book out. It was decorative, and big and white. It took a moment, but she realized that it was a scrapbook. She gently opened it.

The first page was of her. It was pictures of her mother pregnant and when she was a baby. The next page was of Sasuke, very similar to her page. Flipping through the pages slowly, she watched as picture of both her and Sasuke growing up. Sasuke's pictures stopped at a certain age and then it was all of her, but then the pictures picked up again after he had returned with Seto.

The last page was the dress rehearsal and the dinner. In the very center was a picture of Sakura in her red dress, Sasuke is his nice blue shirt and black pants, standing at the alter, holding each other's hands. They weren't looking at the camera, not even aware that it was there, but looking at one another, laughing at what one had said.

A tear fell onto Sakura's cheek. "Aw, mom," she said, unable to think of anything else to say.

Mrs. Haruno smiled. "I have all of Sasuke's mother's pictures in my purse. I made sure to make copies of them and use those in the scrapbook. I didn't want to use the originals without permission," she said. "I finished it at three in the morning, while you were sleeping. I had to wait for tomorrow to finish the last page," she explained, her voice growing weaker and thick.

Sakura held the book to her chest for a moment before gesturing for her mother to come close. "I can't go anywhere with Ino trying to do my hair so you are going to have to come to me," she said, her voice thick.

They hugged each other tightly. "I love you, Mama," Sakura whispered to her mother.

"I love you too, baby," she whispered back.

Ino let Hinata take over on the hair and was the next to look at the scrapbook. While Sakura and her mother were both gushing about how they weren't going to cry, Ino was flipping through the pages. She snorted and Sakura looked over at her.

"What?"

"Sasuke looks like an idiot here," she muttered.

"He was three, leave him alone," she snapped jokingly.

Mrs. Haruno eyed the picture. "Oh, I love that one. I think it's cute."

xOx

The wedding was beautiful and went off without a hitch. Sasuke wore a dark blue kimono with a layer of red and black. The boys wore similar kimonos, with only one other layer in black.

Sakura wore a tradition wedding kimono of the Uchiha family. During the actual ceremony, she wore two layers of white. She would add several other layers of several different colors and beautiful designs for the reception. The girls were wearing kimonos with two layers, a white and a red.

All was in attendance. Both Itachi and Kisame were present, something that made Sasuke very happy. Having his brother there made the whole thing that much more special. He was his family, the only bit of his old family he has left.

The ceremony ended and the couple and then wedding party exited the Garden. They moved over to Uchiha Manor while the guests moved over to the reception area of the Garden. Sakura dressed in the other layers and kept by Sasuke's side.

When they were all ready, they reentered the Garden, the wedding party going first and then the married couple. It was the perfect moment for the couple. Their friends and family and guests all clapped and cheered for them, as they made their way to table. They sat down and smile before sharing a kiss.

The reception went well. The couple had their first dance, they did the whole shoving cake in each other's faces thing, shared a dance with their children. Friends laughed and had a good time. The couple made their rounds the guest and received best wishes and love.

The couple had arranged for the Haruno's to watch the kids for the night. By this time, Hinata and Tenten had moved out and into their own apartment. Ino was going to spend the night with them, giving the couple the night alone. When it was time to go, the couple kissed and wished their kids goodnight, telling them to behave.

The two went home and up to their bedroom. Sakura groaned and tried to free herself from the many layers. "Good, I see why woman only wear that for one day. That is a lot to wear at one time."

Sasuke chuckled and helped her remove the layers. "But you looked beautiful," he reminded.

She laughed and turned in his arms, now only wearing a very thin layer. "Yeah, well, that was the goal. If not, I wouldn't have subjected myself to the horror of so many layers," she replied, pulling the obi, the sash on the kimono. Gently, she pulling his kimono open and running her hands down his chest.

"You're irrational, sometimes," he whispered, kissing her neck.

She smiled, her fingers briefly brushing over his abs. "Sasuke," she paused. "I'm glad you came home that day, more than a year ago."

He pulled her lips to his, wrapping his arms around her petite body and pulling her close. "I'll always come home to you," he whispered.

* * *

**Sucky chpater. Sorry. Well, i hope you liked and enjoyed the ride. Again, thank you all for the support. **


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